WIAW #11: Creamy Avocado Pasta

As you might have seen, I spent last weekend in beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland. WOW. Why didn’t I study there? No, I love London, but Scotland is pretty incredible and a lot cheaper than London. I took about 300 photos which it managed to take until the last moment when my camera died at our last stop on the trip. Thanks God.

 I’m planning to share all of the details of the trip with you soon. But today is Wednesday, so Scotland recap can wait.

One highlight, since it is related is the best Fish and chips I have ever had. To be fair, these things have been voted the best in the UK multiple times. But after this beyond amazing treat, the thought of slimy low quality fish in my fish and chips skives me out now I’ve had the real stuff. But more on the amazing-ness of this and the rest later.



http://www.peasandcrayons.com/



Because it’s Wednesday, and you know what we be doing on a Wednesday. WIAW baby.

Breakfast on the Train

Grande Vanilla Latte from the Edinburgh Starbucks

Lunch at the Laundranette

Sushi box from Itsu: four salmon avocado pieces, six pieces of salmon sushi, side salad of arugula (rocket here) shredded carrots, Asian noodles, and roasted pumpkin seeds with delicious sweet chili dressing. mmmm......

Bottle of Water

Dinner Before a Movie

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Half a piece of baked rosemary chicken

Two glass of Ribena Blackcurrant

Five pieces of popcorn from Mary Kate’s secret stash

Movie- The Descendants for £3.50 night

Wishing I had gotten a snack before sitting in the middle of a row of twenty or had smuggled in overpriced fro-yo. Thought cause by food-envy of someone who did just that.

Good food day. I will definitely make this pasta and get that sushi again. It was definitely a busy day coming back from Scotland but I had such a good time.

If you checked out my Pinterest lately, you will know that I have been wanting to make this Creamy Avocado Pasta from And Her Little Dog Too since I first laid my hungry eyes upon this masterpiece. And low and behold it took my minus 24 hours to actually make it, surprise surprise. What can I say, I act fast. This was a great recipe reminiscent of a super indulgent alfredo without the over indulgence. The avocado makes up for the large amounts of cream and butter while still giving a lovely creamy flavor. This recipe is also a time saver since all it takes is boiling the pasta and blender the sauce. Easy peasy. It is also quite cost effective with a $1.50 avocado, $.50 lemon, $.15 for garlic, $.50 for the rest, and probably $.30 for the pasta. So you get delicious, healthy, and cheap for roughly $3.00 for two large portions. Deal.

 I did encounter some problems though that were unique to my situation. First, the avocado could have been a little riper. Second, the blender at this house could be a little more functional (as in all would have helped) so my sauce came out a bit chunky. But all and all it was creamy/chunky heaven. The original point of this recipe was to make a healthy, yet indulgent pasta sauce that had a creamy tang suitable for any pasta. That worked. Now if you are on a super ambitious/respectable cleanse diet like And Her Little Dog Too, you would be happy with this super healthy version. If you are me and have never attempted this alien concept known as a diet in your life, than you can add a splash of cream and top with parmesan cheese. Fair enough? Either version is indulgent in its on right and since this recipe is for two servings, don’t overload it with too much pasta or rice. Let the sauce really blend with the pasta and you won’t have to add things like cream or parmesan to make up for the giant plate of pasta that has drowned your sauce. Or maybe you would…

Tips for a good Creamy Avocado Pasta:

• Make sure your avocado is ripe. If not, you will get a chunkier sauce, which is not bad, but will change the flavor making the sauce tangier with the lemon and garlic overpowering the creamy avocado.
• Use a decent olive oil. If you only have an okay bottle that’s better than say vegetable oil, so you’d be fine.
• Use this as side dish with chicken and a salad rather than a main pasta dish.
• Enjoy it, you are doing a good thing, even with a dash of cream.
 

Creamy Avocado Pasta: 2 Servings

(Adapted from And Her Little Dog Too and Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

½ lemon, juice and zest to garnish

1-2 garlic cloves depending on taste. (two is pretty garlicky)

1/2 tsp. salt

¼ cup of basil (I only had rosemary, but if you can get basil, use it)

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 servings of pasta (I used linguini, also good with brown rice)

Ground pepper to taste

Optional: Dash of cream and grated parmesan

Directions:

Bring pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package for al dente.

Meanwhile make the sauce, starting with add garlic, lemon, and olive oil in a food processor or functional blender. Process until smooth.

Add avocado, basil and salt to the processor and blend mixture until smooth and creamy. Mix is dash of cream. The mixture should have an almost mayonnaise consistency.

Add sauce to cooked, drained pasta, tossing to fully combine. Garnish with lemon zest and pepper and parmesan. Serve immediately. Good with baked chicken breast.

p.s. since avocado browns quickly, this isn’t a great leftover dish so enjoy it as you shove it down your face in one sitting!

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

Scotland pictures to come!