Recipe: Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries

the appetizer:

Vegetarian entertaining is simple with Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm, including recipes like Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes; Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries; and Delicata Squash Stuffed with Cherry Apple Almond Couscous.

Cookbook

Pepita Fettucini
with Spinach and Cranberries

Makes 1 serving

In an effort to get excited about autumn, I've been doing my best to pick up some new ingredients. Goodness knows I never look forward to winter, so food may be the only way I can actually celebrate the changing of the seasons. One of the ingredients I picked up one season was a tub of organic pepitas. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that are usually sold with the white hull removed, revealing a smooth olive green seed. If you decide to use pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins you carve this year, be sure to wash and dry the seeds thoroughly and roast them in a low oven for an hour or so until dry and toasty. Don't worry about removing the white hull.

This pasta is flavored with a dab of tamari and maple syrup, which coats the pasta and gives it a nice, balanced, sweet flavor. The spinach is sauteed with red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, the cranberries add a pop of sweet tanginess, and the crushed pepitas round out the whole dish. It's really a lovely meal, and what's more, it's super easy to prepare: it should only take as long to make this dish as the pasta takes to cook. I made it for lunch, so this recipe only serves one, but it's very easy to increase the servings should you want to make it for more than one person.

Ingredients

Fettucini for one

1/3 cup raw, unsalted pepitas or pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon oil
2 large handfuls spinach, torn
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs (optionaO
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Step 1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the fettucini. While the pasta is cooking, pulse the pepitas in your food processor or blender until chopped fairly fine, then set aside.

Step 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spinach. Use tongs to coat the spinach in the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, tamari, and maple syrup, and then the thyme if you're using it. Toss in the cranberries and mix everything well. Turn the heat to low (or just turn it off and cover it until your pasta is cooked).

Step 3. Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet. Add the chopped pepitas and toss well until everything is coated. Taste a noodle and see if you need an extra splash of tamari and/or maple syrup. The noodles should look like they don't have sauce on them, but they'll taste like they do. Serve immediately.

from:
Vegan Yum Yum
Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Every Day
by Lauren Ulm
HCI Books 2009
Paperback/$18.95
ISBN-10: 0757313809
ISBN: 978-0-7573-1380-9
Recipe reprinted by permission.

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