Pasta with Pesto

“Good habits are as addictive as bad habits but much more rewarding.”(Harvey Mackay)
And you don’t create those good habits through a single massive effort, but by living a little healthier each day than the day before: the principle of becoming 1% better every day than you were yesterday. Choosing a healthy snack, taking an extra walk with the dogs, breaking up long periods of sitting by standing up every now and then… it’s the sum of those small steps that ultimately makes the difference. And let’s be honest, living healthily should also be fun and easy—and preferably not take up too much time. With this delicious dish, you can check off the whole list. Not only is it super flavorful, but it’s also packed with good stuff. Cashews, for example, are rich in magnesium. Magnesium is important for, among other things, proper muscle function, nerve signal transmission in nerve and muscle cells, and energy metabolism. Just like nuts, pine nuts are also high in protein. They’re rich in vitamin E, which is important for healthy skin, a well-functioning immune system, and helps protect white blood cells from damage caused by pathogens. Speaking of good habits…

Ingredients: (serves 4)

The pesto:

• 15 sun-dried tomatoes
• 10 green olives
• 3 handfuls of cashews
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sweet chili
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper

The rest:

• 400 g whole-wheat pasta
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 handfuls of fresh basil
• +/- 2 slices of smoked salmon per person

Supplies:

• blender

Preparation:

1. Cook the whole-wheat pasta in salted water until tender.
2. In the meantime, toast the pine nuts. (You really have to keep a close eye on them because they can toast very quickly.)
3. Next, place all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender and blend until smooth. Add a little extra olive oil if the pesto is too chunky.
4. Drain the pasta and divide it among the plates.
5. Arrange the slices of smoked salmon on the plates.
6. Spoon four tablespoons of the pesto onto each plate and sprinkle half a tablespoon of pine nuts over each one.
7. Garnish with fresh basil.

Enjoy your meal!