Avocado and Spinach Pasta

When I tell people that I use avocado as a warm ingredient in pasta, their reaction is not always so positive. If you are someone who believes that avocado should only be eaten cold, in sandwiches or in guacamole, you are missing out on the creaminess that it offers in a pasta dish. Try it!

Avocado and Spinach Pasta

454g bag of linguine or other pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, cut into chunks
3 avocados, peeled and chopped into chunks (the riper the avocado, the creamier the sauce)

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir around for a couple minutes making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add the wine and let it bubble another couple minutes. Add the broth, lime juice, salt, and pepper and bring up to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Toss in the tomato and once it is heated through, add the spinach and mix until it is wilted.

Toss the pasta and sauce together and leave on the heat for a few minutes until it is all hot again. Stir in the avocado and let it heat through. Enjoy!

Thai Coconut Corn Soup

This soup can be as spicy as you want it to be depending on how much cayenne pepper you use and if you add a sliced chili. I used a Thai red chili but you can use a jalapeno. For a milder version but with the flavour of the chili, remove the seeds before adding the chili to the soup. Just make sure to wear gloves when you chop a red chili as the oil burns your fingers and then burns any other skin you may touch!

I used kaffir lime leaves and dried galangal but lime juice and fresh ginger will work just as well.

Thai Coconut Corn Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 - 3 carrots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more or less)
1 chili pepper, sliced - see note above
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed or 1 cup cooked garbanzos
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 sweet yellow pepper, sliced
2 cups frozen corn
2 cans coconut milk (about 400 ml each)
2 cups water
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp lime juice or 2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger or 2 pieces dried galangal

Heat the oil on medium in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and cayenne. Stir and cook until the onions and carrots start to soften. Add all the other ingredients and bring the soup up to a boil. Turn the heat down and let the soup simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings (salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice) as needed.