Creamy Chive Pasta with Beet Petals

I think I said in a previous post that I’m not really a beet person, except for in a juice I make. I need to amend that statement: I’m not really a beet person, except for that one juice I make, and this pasta. I modified a beet “ravioli” small-bite recipe from Kris Carr’s cookbook, Crazy Sexy Kitchen (which, I love and highly recommend) to create this slightly heartier dish.

This is a great summer pasta: it’s light, yet filling; has vibrant colors; and requires very little time in front of a stove. The only thing that needs cooking is the pasta and shallots. You could even modify this to be a side salad by shredding the beets and leaving out the pasta. Maybe even roll that salad up into a tortilla or spring roll wrap to take on the go! Lots of options.

Hope you like this one as much as I do!
M

Creamy Chive Pasta with Beet Petals
Prep time: 15 min |  Cook and serve time: 20 min |  Ready in: 1 hour, 10 min
Serves two

Ingredients:
2 medium beets (I used one red and one yellow)
2 servings of dry pasta—about 2 cups, cooked (I used a gluten-free fettucine)
1/2 cup cashew cream
1/4 cup diced chives
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a little more to taste
1 teaspoon oil
1 shallot

Prep: 

1. Make cashew cream.
2. Cut off the ends of the beets and peel outside layer off with a potato peeler.
3. Continue to use the potato peeler (or you can use a mandolin) to create thin beet “petals.”
   
4. Dice chives.
5. In a small bowl, stir together cashew cream, chives (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnishing), salt, nutritional yeast, and onion powder.
   
6. Slice the shallot into thin pieces.

Cook and serve:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package’s instructions.
2. Pour 1 teaspoon of oil into a small skillet on medium heat. Add shallot slices and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss together pasta, beets, and shallots.
4. Divide between two plates, garnish with chives, and sprinkle with salt, to taste.