Dr Saliha's gut-friendly tomato pasta and green goddess salad
Guru of gut health, MasterChef winner and gastroenterologist Dr Saliha is showing us two of her favourite gut-friendly recipes: an easy no-cook tomato sauce with pasta, and a green goddess salad.
Recipe taken from The Kitchen Prescription by Dr Saliha
Good Gut Tomato Pasta
Serves: 4
Ingredients
300g whole-wheat penne, fusilli or spaghetti Salt, to taste75g cashews2 tbsp cannellini beans (from a tin)220g sun-dried tomatoes, drained from their oil3 garlic cloves1 heaped tsp hot paprika (or 1 tsp chilli flakes)2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or grated Parmesan cheese)1 tsp dried oregano4 tbsp toasted mixed seeds
Method
1. Start by bringing a large saucepan of water to the boil. When the water is boiling add a generous sprinkling of salt. Add the penne (or pasta of choice) and cook until al dente (or follow the instructions on the packet). Drain, keeping the pasta water aside.
2. Combine the cashews, cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, paprika, nutritional yeast (or Parmesan) and oregano together in a blender. Add around four ladles of pasta water and blend to form a creamy, smooth sauce. Season with salt to taste.
3. Pour the cashew and sun-dried tomato sauce into the pan you used to boil the pasta. Simmer it gently for about 4 minutes to allow all the flavours to develop further. If it looks too thick, do not hesitate to add a little more of the retained pasta water. Tumble the pasta into the sauce and stir well to combine. Serve with toasted seeds sprinkled over the top and an extra drizzle of olive oil. The pasta dish can be eaten cold the next day too.
Gut Goddess Salad
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
200g tenderstem broccoli½ a small green cabbage, finely diced½ cucumber, deseeded and diced into small cubes4 spring onions, thinly sliced1 green pepper, diced into small pieces1 avocado, stoned and peeled, cut into cubes
For the dressing:Juice of 2 large lemons50g baby spinach20g basil leaves20g chives2 large garlic cloves1 shallot1 tbsp maple syrup100ml extra-virgin olive oil100g cashews2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or grated Parmesan cheese)
Method
1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the broccoli and blanch for just 30 seconds, then drain and run under cold water. Finely chop the broccoli, then add to a large mixing bowl with the cabbage, cucumber, spring onions, pepper and avocado.
2. For the dressing: Blend the lemon, spinach, basil, chives, garlic, shallot, maple syrup, olive oil, cashews, and nutritional yeast (or Parmesan cheese) together in a blender until very smooth.
3. Pour the dressing over the chopped vegetables and mix well to combine. Divide into storage containers and refrigerate until you are ready for lunch. This salad can also be served with tortilla chips or crispbreads.