Vibrant Pea Pesto Pasta Salad

Vibrant Pea Pesto Pasta Salad - Pasta salad that is made with fresh ingredients and loads of flavor! Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

As we enter spring, I wanted to create a pasta salad that showcases the vibrant colors of green! Not only is this recipe a crowd-pleaser, it’s also highly nutritious. As you may have already guessed, pesto is the star in this dish.

Where are my pesto lovers at!? Pesto is my absolute favorite when it comes to dips, sauces, or just straight out of the bowl. Unfortunately, most restaurants or pizzarias will have pesto that contains dairy. I either bear through it and deal with the repercussions later or just bring my own, lol.

This pesto is a lot like my 5-ingredient vegan pesto but with an upgrade. The pesto used in this dish contains more greens like arugula and watercress as well as one of my favorite vegetable, peas!

Other bright and colorful green vegetables that are added to this pasta salad are asparagus and broccolini. Like most of my pasta dishes, I use Banza pasta. Banza is a great gluten-free option that also contains a higher amount of protein, fiber, and less net carbs than most traditional pastas out there.

This vibrant pea pesto pasta salad is great on its own but also perfect as a side dish for your meal preps. Add a side of grilled chicken and you’re good to go!

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As a Banza ambassador, I’m excited to announce that the first person who makes this dish and provides feedback will receive coupons for free Banza pasta! To qualify for this giveaway you must:

1. Make this recipe!

2. Leave a comment below.

3. Post in your Instagram story or feed a picture of your finished dish and add #fromtherootsblog .

I was not financially compensated for this post. All recipes, photos, and opinions are my own.

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Vibrant Pea Pesto Pasta Salad - Pasta salad that is made with fresh ingredients and loads of flavor! Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

Ingredients

• ½ cup frozen peas

• 1 bunch broccolini

• 1 bunch asparagus

• ½ lemon (juice)

• 1 box (8 oz) Banza pasta rotini

PEA PESTO

• 7-9 raw almonds

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ cup peas (frozen)

• 1 cup packed fresh basil

• ½ cup packed watercress and arugula

• ⅓ cup nutritional yeast

• ⅓ cup EVOO

• ½ lemon

• S&P to season

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. Drizzle with oil of choice and toss to prevent noodles from sticking.

2. While pasta is cooking, blanch asparagus and broccolini by filling a medium saucepan halfway with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil. While the water is heating, prepare the asparagus by breaking off any tough, white bottoms and cutting the spears into 1 to 2 inch sections. Add the asparagus and broccolini to the boiling water and lower the heat slightly to maintain a simmer. Cook for about 2 minutes and drain the hot water. Add the veggies to an ice bath after to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

3. Make pesto by adding almonds and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients except oil and blend until combine. Slowly add in the olive oil until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. If mixture is too dry, add a little water. It should be thick but pourable.

4. Taste and adjust flavor as needed; set aside.

5. Add cooked pasta, broccolini, asparagus, and peas to a mixing/serving bowl and top with pesto. Squeeze half of lemon and toss to combine. Garnish with herbs, S&P, pine nuts, or hemp seeds (optional).

6. Best served fresh at room temperature. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.

4 Minute Plank Tabata Challenge

Tabata workouts are a great way to improve endurance or if you are short on time. It’s a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout that last about 4 minutes!  There are many varied tabata style workouts that you can do, all you have to do is follow this simple guideline:

20 sec: work out

10 sec: rest

Complete 8 rounds

So for the first 20 seconds, you workout as hard as you can and then rest for 10 seconds. This is for one set. In total, you will complete 8 rounds. You can do whatever workout you would like that targets large muscle groups: burpees, squats, lunges, planks, etc.

For this particular tabata, we will be targeting the most love/hate muscle group - abdominal; using planks as the workout!

Feel free to pin the workout for later or download the PDF here!

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PLANK

Place the forearms on the ground with the elbows aligned below the shoulders. Arms should be parallel to the body at about shoulder-width distance. If flat palms bother your wrists (like mine!), clasp your hands together. This plank variation can be performed with straight arms!

TWISTED PLANK WITH WEIGHT

Starting in plank position, have your hands or elbows beneath your shoulders. Pivot to one side, raising the arm vertically above you as you twist. Pause and return to the starting position. You will perform both movements on the right and left side. Weights are optional but highly recommended!

ELBOWS UP TO HANDS PLANK

Starting in plank position, have your hands or elbows beneath your shoulders. One arm at a time, push yourself into a push-up position, arms fully extended beneath you. Lower yourself, one arm at a time, back down to the elbow plank starting position. Repeat this movement, alternating which side your lower first with each rep.

SIDE PLANK

Lie on one side with the legs stacked on top of one another then prop the body up on one hand or elbow. You will perform this movement for both right and left side.

PLANK JACKS

Starting in plank position, have your hands or elbows beneath your shoulders. Keep your core engaged, jump your feet out and in (like jumping jacks). (my feet kept slipping and I felt like I was going to hit the wall..lol…but remember to keep that plank position *flat back* throughout the movement)

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If you try this workout, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram.

Quinoa Breakfast Bowls 2 Ways

Quinoa Breakfast Bowls 2 Ways - A healthy and hearty way to start your morning; sweet or savory!

I will be honest and say that I was somewhat apprehensive about implementing quinoa in my breakfast dishes. I’m just so used to adding quinoa to my buddha bowls or as a dinner side. I never thought you could use it for sweet dishes but once I caved, I’ve never gone back.

Quinoa is an excellent versatile option for breakfast. You can make it sweet, like I have discovered, or you can keep it savory.

This recipe is fun and so easy to incorporate for your breakfast meal prep. You can simply cook up four servings, taking ½ cup from that to do whatever your heart's desire.

If you want to lean towards the savory side of the quinoa breakfast bowl then you can add roasted veggies, greens, a fried egg, half of an avocado, and possibly another protein source.

For something sweet, add cocoa powder, plant-based milk, honey, nut butter, superfood toppings, and assorted fruits.

Whatever way you prefer, quinoa is very easy to incorporate into your diet and pairs well with many foods. It’s gluten-free, high in protein, and one of the few plant foods that contains a sufficient amount of all nine essential amino acids.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Quinoa Breakfast Bowls 2 Ways - A healthy and hearty way to start your morning; sweet or savory!

Sweet Way

• ½ cup cooked quinoa

• 1 cup plant-based milk

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 1 Tbsp honey or pure maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp nut butter

Toppings

Fruits, coconut flakes, chia seeds, hemp seeds, dairy-free yogurt, dark chocolate

Savory Way

• ½ cup cooked quinoa

• Small handful of assorted greens

• Fried egg

• Roasted veggies

• Half of an avocado

Toppings

Hemp seeds, hot sauce, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon, salt and pepper

How to cook quinoa

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve until water runs clear. Drain and transfer to a medium pot.

2. Add 2 cups water, pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

3. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed (about 15-20 minutes).

4. Set aside off heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Makes 4 servings.

5. You could also follow the same process but in a rice cooker.