Vegan Tomato Sauce & G/F Pasta
As a lot of you already know, gluten is quite the enemy these days in the eyes of the health and wellness industry. A massive majority of the worlds population are gluten intolerant and many people are using their best efforts to expel gluten from their diets. Now if you’re a die hard pasta fan, and are gluten sensitive, do not dispare! I am here to tell you there are delicious alternatives, like this delicious recipe below. This recipe is also vegan friendly, so no animals were harmed π
So, what is gluten? and how do I know if I am sensitive to it? Let’s dive in! Gluten is the general term used to describe the protein found in many grains including wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats, and many more. If a person is sensitive to gluten it’s because the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by gluten resulting in malabsorption of carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, all of which are needed for good health. This results in a condition called Celiac Disease that can be very difficult to diagnose for symptoms can range from everything from diarrhea and constipation to chronic fatigue and depression. This autoimmune disease is diagnosed through blood tests. A good thing to note is that anything that says gluten-free is also wheat-free.
Wheat free??? Now what’s that? The wheat free diet is where a person has a sensitivity to foods containing wheat, with symptoms such as bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, re flux, skin issues and allergies if wheat is ingested. Foods containing wheat are anything made with white or whole wheat flour such as cookies, cakes, breads, tortillas, pizza, pasta, pancakes, tempura, dumplings, anything made with bulghur such as tabouli, wheat berries, cous cous and the list goes on. So if one were sensitive to wheat, they’d avoid these foods.
Okay so now that we’ve wrapped our minds around the gluten/wheat free diets, what foods are out there that one can eat if they are wheat/gluten sensitive? Well there are plenty of healthy foods and alternatives out there, like rice, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, polenta, and many more.
Now I myself am not gluten or wheat intolerant, but I do rarely eat foods with it. Occasioanlly I will have bulghur, spelt and maybe say a falafel wrap (with a gluten wrap), but when I do I can definitely feel the difference in my body. Kind of like a gluten hang over, if you know what I mean. So I always opt for the gluten free alternatives.
For this tasty pasta dish, I used buckwheat pasta, which is so yumm I can hardly taste the difference!
- 1 Tin Organic Chopped Tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup Sundried Tomatoes (Re-hydrated with warm water)
- 1 Large Orange Sweet Potato (Peeled and diced)
- 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Small Onion (Finely Diced)
- 1 Tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 TBS Agave Nectar
- Mixed Herbs
- Salt and Pepper to season
- Fresh Basil to Garnish
- Coconut Oil for sauteing
- Buckwheat Pasta
- Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and your buckwheat pasta. Following the instructions on the packet, cook until soft.
- For the tomato sauce, lightly saute the onion until golden brown. Add the garlic.
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, along with the re-hydtrated sundried tomatoes, and the liquid they were in.
- Add the diced sweet potato, agave and apple cider vinegar and allow to simmer until the sweet potato is soft. The longer you let the sauce simmer, the more reduced the potato will get, and eventually it'll become part of the sauce.
- As the tomato sauce is quite tart, we add the agave to sweeten it, along with the sweet potato. The apple cider vinegar helps to enhance the flavor of the sauce.
- Once you're happy with the consistency of your sauce, season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs, and serve on the buckwheat pasta.
- Garnish with fresh basil, and crumbled nut cheese if you have.
I really hope you enjoyed this recipe. It’s such a quick and easy meal, that you really can’t go wrong with.
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