Vivian da silva Teixeira

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About the dish:

My vegan “Spag Bol” is a great winter warmer and a family favourite. It’s a hearty dish without the overload of carbs or meat. This Spag Bol is packed with nutritiously dense ingredients from walnuts and mushroom, which contains Omega 3, Vitamin E, Antioxidants, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Selenium, Copper and Phosphorus. Best of all it is vegan, paleo and Whole 30 friendly as it is grain, wheat and egg free (as we use zucchini instead of traditional pasta). The walnuts add a lovely “meaty” texture to the sauce. The apple cider vinegar and the brewers/nutritional yeast adds the umami flavour of a traditional Bolognese.

As a personal choice, most of the ingredients I use in my cooking are organic and locally sourced. there is no happy and healthy life without looking after our environment, farmers and local businesses.

Zucchini Spaghetti Mushroom & Walnut “Bolognese” - takes about 30 min to cook (excluding prep time).

Ingredients

2 tbsp organic olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large organic Australian garlic cloves, finely chopped
450 gr. Swiss brown mushrooms, half sliced and half cut into fine strips
100 gr. Organic walnuts, finely chopped
2 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 x 400 ml. cans organic peeled, chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp organic tomato paste
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika powder
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
sea salt & black pepper to tast

Zucchini pasta:

3 x large organic zucchinis, pass through a mandalin or spiralizer or vegetable peeler ( depending on the “pasta shape” you like.

3 x organic Australian garlic cloves

1 tbsp of organic olive oil

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot or wide sauce pan on medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent — but not brown.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes, during which the mushrooms will release their water.
4. Once this water has completely evaporated and the mixture is fairly dry, add all the herbs and spices, the apple cider vinegar and tomato paste. Mix well to ensure the mushrooms are well coated in the spices.
5. Add the chopped plum tomatoes and the canned peeled tomatoes and mix again.
6. Allow to cook on a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the chopped walnuts and cook for an extra 5 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and serve with the “zucchini pasta” (use regular or gluten free pasta if you wish) and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan 'cheese' ( brewers yeast/ nutritional yeast) or regular parmesan cheese.

Zucchini pasta

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan on medium heat.
2. Add the crushed garlic and sauté until golden brown
3. Add the zucchini and toss it through for a couple of minutes (you’ll want to keep it al dente) and serve immediately.

As an option, add toasted GF bread crumbs for more texture.