I know, I know.  More banana bread.  Even though I just made oatmeal banana bread last month, I felt compelled to make more.  One of the recipes I get feedback on most often is my blueberry Greek yogurt banana bread.  And I totally agree – it’s a good one.  But we’ve cut dairy out these past few months, and I’ve been itching to makeover this old favorite into something new and vegan-friendly. 

The original recipe also includes eggs (which we do eat), but since I wanted this to be accessible to my vegan friends, I subbed those out as well.  I promise you can’t tell the difference.  I also upped the amount of bananas used in the original recipe, and reduced the amount of sugar – it helps the  natural sweetness of the banana really shine!

Banana bread is one of those things that is great on it’s own, and just gets better when you add fun fillings.  I’ve made this three times now, and each time I add more and more blueberries.  I’m sure there is a point where you’ve added too many, but I don’t seem to have reached it quite yet.  I’ll keep you posted.

Let me start by telling you that these photos do absolutely no justice to how delicious this tastes.  I was racing against a setting sun, and I took the extra time to make sure the recipe was just right, rather than making sure I got the perfect photo.  I call this, pasta at twilight.

But make no mistake that you’ll want to add this to your weekly meal plan immediately. 

Recently, I’ve been trying to work on adding to my collection of sauce recipes.  I love me some marinara, but it’s nice to have other options for pasta here and there.  In case you hadn’t noticed, my new favorite ingredient is miso (more to come on that soon). 

It comes together with tahini here to make a slightly nutty, and perfectly umami sauce.  Yep, I just used umami.  Blame the miso. 

Vegetable Pasta with Miso Tahini Sauce

by Emily Malone

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (1 clove)
• 1/4 cup white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 cup pasta water (reserved)

Instructions

Start by heating a large pot of water on the stovetop – bring to a boil for your pasta. Cook your pasta according to package directions.  Mince about 1 cup of fresh parsley leaves and set aside to be used right before serving.

Slice a large red onion into thin strips, and saute on medium heat until very soft. After the onions have cooked for about five minutes, add the mushrooms and zucchini – cook all vegetables until very soft and browned. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.

In the same sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or butter) and heat over medium low heat until melted. Add garlic and sauté until just browning.

Add tahini and miso to the pan, and then carefully ladle some pasta water (which should be cooking by now), 1/4 cup at a time into the sauté pan.

Each time you add water, whisk the sauce together until combined – it will be very thick at first. Continue to add pasta water until you reach just about 1 cup, or your desired consistency. For a thicker sauce, use less (and for thinner, use more).

Once your sauce is ready, drain pasta and add to the bowl with the vegetables. Add chopped parsley. Pour sauce on top and toss until well coated.

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

As much as I love eating healthy, I also love creamy sauces and gigantic comforting bowls of pasta.  This sauce has a rich creaminess, without actually being heavy or unhealthy, so you can go back for seconds (and thirds) without the guilt.  Don’t mind if I do.

The pasta is really just a recommendation for a great way to use the sauce, but I can see it being repurposed into so many other dishes – tossed with grains, warm salad dressing, poured over a protein – endless possibilities. 

Enjoy!