Asparagus hit the shelves last week and I finally found some that looked pretty good. For as long ad I can remember, that has meant Primavera with loads of veggies and mushrooms. In years past I made a cream sauce (35g fat, 17g saturated), but this year, I went for an equally decadent cashew sauce that turned out to to be far more appealing to the midsection (21g fat, 5g saturated), and that could probably be trimmed further.



So this was my Valentine's Day meal. Pasta Primavera, made to please the pallet and a fresh loaf of crusty baguette.







Pasta Primavera

2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine

1 lb asparagus, cut into 3" spears

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, sliced on the bias

2 small zucchini, sliced

1 bunch green onions, chopped, including greens

1 lb pasta (penne or fettuccine are good)

1 cup cooking liquid (reserved)

Sauce:

1 cup cashews, ground

2 cups unsweetened soy milk

1/4 cup white wine

1 tbs miso

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup basil, minced (or 1 tbs dry)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt



For the sauce, blend together the cashews, soy milk, wine, miso, garlic, salt and pepper. When well blended, add the basil and pulse, just to combine. Set aside until needed.



Bring a pot of water to a boil. The veggies and sauce takes just a little longer than the pasta. Melt margarine in a saute pan. Add the mushrooms, asparagus and carrots. Saute until the carrots begin to soften. Stir in the green onions and zucchini. Add the sauce and bring to a boil.



While the asparagus, sautes, add the pasta to the pot of water. Boil until the pasta is tender, but not completely cooked. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of water. Add pasta to the sauce and simmer until the pasta has finished cooking, just a couple of minutes. Add up to a cup of reserved cooking water to thin the sauce, if necessary.



5 Servings: 650 cal (21g fat, 92g carbs, 26g protein)