Between my 7 friends and I, we have 5 very specific dietary restrictions that force us to be ultra picky when deciding a meal plan for our get togethers
Lindzy- Little miss seliac’s cant have pasta, bread, flour or any sauce with thickener in it…sad
Marie- keep those dairy products away from the lactose intolerant chick
Claire- while she eats fish, this veggie girl steers clear of anything that had feet at some point
Anneka- homegirl carries an EpiPen in her purse, and has instructed us all how to dispatch it, should she come in contact with any soy or nut product
Me- while I used to love it, shellfish makes my face bloat up like a puffer fish….
So to recap:
No fish
No pasta, bread, flour
No super pasteurized dairy products
No meat
No soy or nuts
No shellfish
Basically all we are left with in the end is tacos, tacos, and more tacos…
While I love me some Mexican food….let’s just say it is not always the best pre-going-out-dance the night away before meal…
Enter…Claire pasta.
This yummy pasta dish can be made with gluten free noodles, and with a basic pesto sauce, sans the pine nuts or walnuts…
Talk about incorporating the season’s best ingredients, this pasta has endless options!
Check out the recipe and some fun pictures below from the last time we made us some Claire Pasta:
Ingredients
(please feel free to substitute any and all veggies, get creative!)
1 box of whole wheat Barilla spaghetti
Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic
½ white onion
Red pepper flakes
5 button mushrooms
1 package cherry tomatoes
3 ears of fresh corn
1 squash or zucchini
Pesto Sauce
1 bunch basil(you can also use spinach or any other green)
1 cup parmesan cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Set a pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta
2. Gather basil
We are proud mama's our pot of basil that we raised from seeds on our scorching hot Sac baclcony!
Marie picks the fresh basil
3. Finely chop garlic, and onion…fry garlic and onion in frying pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, mix in 1 pinch red pepper flakes, cook until onions are soft
4. Shuck corn, halve cherry tomatoes, slice up squash and mushrooms
Cute as a button!
Claire can get carried away with how much she loves her veggies!...yummmy raw corn
5. When pasta water is boiling add spaghetti, and through remaining veggies into pan with garlic and onions, cook pasta until al dente and veggies until soft
6. For pesto sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor…leave out nuts for guests who may have allergies. Pulse until sauce is a thick enough consistency to stay put on a spoon
7. Combine all ingredients and mix well…serve with a nice bottle of chilled white wine and some yummy olives and cheese!
Buon Apetito!
PS- Check out this other awesome recipe guide from Food Network to find easy to prepare meals for all of the dietary restrictions in your life! Ciao
