No-mato Sauce with Faux Pasta

I have a secret! Well not really but the truth is I have never liked pasta! I know all the Italians are booing me, but even before testing positive for a wheat allergy, I'd invite myself over to the neighbors for supper while my family ate pasta. And here's more news, even though I love tomatoes, I couldn't eat marinara sauce without getting an acid stomach.But that's enough about my sensitive stomach. While to vast majority of people are fine with nightshades, some dealing with an autoimmune disorder, lyme, or arthritis, can often have symptoms flare when exposed to nightshades. Example, if my best friend gets food at a restaurant that even has a pinch of chili in it, her hands begin to swell and ache. Its not 100% clear on why nightshade vegetables can do this, but the common theory is that it has to do with the lectins they contain. (If you want to know more about lectins just email me and I'll send you some goodies)

Whats great about this recipe is that it is an undoing of traditional spaghetti and marinara sauce. Instead of gluten-ous noodles, zucchini is used, offering an awesome nutritional boost and crunch. As we are now well into autumn, tomatoes are also being swapped out for glorious root vegetables. No-mato and Faux Pasta is familiar enough to satisfy a pasta lovers cravings, and different enough that pasta haters will enjoy it as well.

No-mato Sauce

• 1 T avocado oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 medium golden beet, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup basil chiffonade
• 2 T fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium, and saute the onions until they are tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and saute about 1 minute. Add in the carrots, beet, and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to a simmer, cooking until the carrots and beets are fork-tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender, add salt to taste and lemon juice, and blend until smooth. (Be very careful, your blending hot liquids here!!) Taste the sauce and adjust any seasonings as needed. Stir in chiffonaded basil.

Faux Noodles

• 2 Zucchini Spiralized**
• 1 T avocado oil
• dash of salt and pepper

Heat a skillet with avocado oil. Once water drop sizzle, throw the zucchini in the pan and saute for 3-5 minutes. Transfer noodles to plate and top with yo' no-mato sauwce.

NOmNom

** alternatively you can spiralize broccoli stems, kolrabi, or parsnips