Pasta Salad is definitely one of my guilty favorites. When I was younger and before I was vegan, I’d eat tubs of the stuff, without paying attention to the horrific amount of trash that is pumped into commercial grocery store Pasta Salads. Fast forward to 2017, I think I’m a little smarter than I was when I was 11 (just a bit), and also fully aware of the amount of shyt that goes into the food we purchase these days. Thus, in order to fulfill my cravings, I’ve come up with my favourite Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad That Isn’t Full Of Trash. Contrary to popular belief,trashy food doesn’t always have to actually contain trash ingredients in it.
Unlike the abysmal grocery store Pasta Salad that contains Milk, crappy Mayonnaise, copious amounts of refined Sugar and about 300 different additives and chemicals, my Vegan Pasta Salad only contains a handful of ingredients. All you need is cooked Pasta (I use little Macaroni thingamajigs, I don’t even know what they are called, but feel free to use any Pasta of your choice) and my simple Creamy Cashew Dressing.
My Creamy Cashew Dressing in this Vegan Pasta Salad is a simple mixture of Cashews, Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Minced Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Parsley and Orange Juice. That touch of Orange helps bring the slight sweetness that all great Pasta Salads have, or in my opinion, should have. Once you combine your cooked Pasta with your creamy dressing, you’re ready to conceive a guilt-free food baby.
For those who are Gluten Intolerant, feel free to use Corn or Rice based Pasta to make your Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad Gluten Free. This whole recipe will set you back a mere 15 minutes, which if you’re lucky, is less time than your partner lasts in the bedroom. But I guess not all of us are that lucky. Ah, oh well. Anyway, if you’re keen on Vegan Pasta Salad, scroll down to grab the full recipe!
Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 7 ounces pasta dry, I used Mini Macaroni
- 1 cup Corn kernels
- 1 cup Peas
- 1 cup Carrots Diced
For The Dressing:
- 1 1/4 cups Cashews Raw
- 1 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Coconut Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Nutritional Yeast
- 1 large orange juiced
- 1/4 cup Parsley chopped, and extra for garnishing
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add a liberal amount of salt to your water and then add your Dry Pasta into the pot. After 4 minutes, add your Frozen Corn, Frozen Peas and Carrots to the pot and boil together with the Pasta.
- After another 4 minutes or so, pasta should be al dente and your veggies should be tender.
- Drain Pasta and Veggies and set aside.
- Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for dressing except for the Parsley in a blender. Blend till smooth.
- Once smooth, add Parsley in and pulse to distribute Parsley into the sauce. Do not blend as this will turn your sauce green.
- Add dressing to your drained Pasta and toss to combine.
- Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly - I personally enjoy a fair amount of seasoning in this.
- You can serve your pasta warm or cold.
- Because the dressing is made of Cashews, the dressing on your Pasta may thicken up in the refrigerator. If so, stir in a few tablespoons of Non-Dairy Milk into your Pasta Salad and then check again for seasoning before serving.
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