Black Bean Pasta with Crispy Cauliflower

“I don’t have time”… “It’s too expensive”….These are the two excuses I hear daily. And I’m listening! And I’m keeping these thoughts in mind with each recipe I create. My goal is to figure out how can I make this easier and more cost effective so that there truly are no excuses to not live a healthier plant-based lifestyle.So with this recipe you pretty much need only pantry essentials and 1 or 2 fresh ingredients. It’s also quick and easy to make so it won’t have you in the kitchen all day. After a long day at work you can whip this together in no time.I teamed up with Direct Eats to come up with this recipe. If your not familiar with Direct Eats its basically the Costco of healthy food! But even better. It’s online and there’s  no membership fee. So you don’t need to commit to anything. I got everything I needed for this recipe from Direct Eats.

• Organic Black Bean Pasta
• Nutritional Yeast
• Minced Garlic
• Organic Kalamata Olives
• Organic Spray on Herbs

Direct Eats is offering my followers 15 perfect off their next order so you can save money and make this delicious meal! Use the code RUNONVEG at checkout– Expires June 15.

Now back to the recipe. Has anyone tried Bean Pasta? It’s one of my favorite foods and is literally just beans and water. The best part is that it’s over 20 grams of protein per serving. So you can eat pasta and not have that “heavy food coma” feeling.

This pasta dish is so beautiful and perfect if you’re having guests over and want to impress them. Roasted cauliflower with some fresh parsley offers color and freshness. And I love the little bits of olives in the dish that offer saltiness and some extra tang. Another great thing about Direct Eats is that you can try products from smaller/local vendors. I like the Organic Spray on Herbs in place of non-stick spray in this dish. I used the garlic spray and it added so much flavor!

And since people love their pasta with cheese I added in nutritional yeast. This parmesan-like ingredient is vegan and has tons of B vitamins. It may be somewhat of an acquired taste because when I first tried it I didn’t love. But now I can’t get enough of it! Minced garlic always comes in handy whether your making a stir fry or a salad dressing. I always have some in my refrigerator. To make this recipe even more “pantry friendly” you don’t even need to use fresh cauliflower. Frozen works as well! Like I always say, a well stocked kitchen will go a long way in creating a nourishing meal!

Recipe:

• 1 head of cauliflower cut and roasted (simply cut and place on a tray and roast at 350 for around 40-60 minutes until golden brown)
• 1 package of black bean pasta
• Spray on Herbs or Non-stick spray
• 1 onion diced
• 2 tablespoons of minced fresh garlic
• 1/4-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped kalimata olives
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley 
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as directed, drain it and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare step two.
2. Spray a large pan with spray on herbs or non-stick spray, sauté onion until translucent over medium heat. You may need to add a drop of water so it doesn’t stick. Once onion is translucent (should take around 7 minutes) add garlic and cook till onion is golden brown.
3. Once onion and garlic are cooked turn off the fire and toss the pasta in the large pan. Then add nutritional yeast and salt.  Toss together till evenly coated.
4. Now top the pasta with roasted cauliflower, olives and parsley. Can be served at room temperature or hot!