Taste-bud Journey: Tuna & Veggie Pasta with Cauliflower Hummus

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for Tuna & Veggie Pasta with Cauliflower Hummus. It was inspired by the desire to have some kind of pasta dish that features hummus. That way, I could have a unique and flavorful way to use up some of the Cauliflower Hummus I had made the previous day. Googling for suggestions, I found a recipe for Hummus Pasta from Alena Menko's website. As per usual, I made a few changes for what I ultimately made.

Conclusions: I found this to be surprisingly good. As I ate what I made, I was quite grateful that I had another full serving that I would be able to eat the following day. This is a recipe that I will definitely make again, in the future.

 

Recipe

• 8 ounces of Garden Rotini

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil for cooking veggies in pot on stove
• 1 cup of cut-up Bell Pepper

• 1 serving of Yellow Squash
• 1 serving of French Green Beans
• 1 can of tuna in olive oil (Use the olive oil from the can to help the veggies in the pot cook more fully without burning.)

• 1/2 cup (or more) of Cauliflower Hummus
• 2 tbsp onion flakes
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Please note: See this blog for the recipe I used to make Cauliflower Hummus.

Taste-bud Journey: Steamed Cauliflower Hummus

 

Please also note: I intended to use the rehydrated green beans and yellow squash that was originally dehydrated while covered with whole wheat flour, lots of onion flakes, and sea salt. So, since those two veggies already had onion and salt 'galore' in them, I did not intend to add any additional seasonings to the above recipe. I also used the liquid that I drained from the rehydrating green beans and yellow squash as the water that I used to microwave the pasta - using my 'kitchen toy' called FASTA PASTA. Once I drained the cooked pasta, I also ended up using about 1/2 cup of that 'pasta water' to stir in to the cooking pot to add a little extra flavor and creaminess to the recipe. For full details of the rehydration process, please read the blog from the previous day. 

Please note: See this blog for the details of how to rehydrate something that has been dehydrated.

Taste-bud Journey: Rehydrating Green Beans and Yellow Squash

Procedure

• Step 1: Place pasta in pasta maker (aka FASTA PASTA) along with appropriate amount of water and microwave for 8 minutes. Please note that you don't want to overcook the pasta since you will cook it a bit more in the veggie pot later.

• Step 2: In the meantime, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot on stove. Add bell pepper, and squash. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt. Add the olive oil from the tuna can during this process to help keep the veggies from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

• Step 3: Add tuna and green beans to pot. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

• Step 4: Stir in Cauliflower Hummus. If needed, use some of the pasta water if the mixture is not the smooth, creamy consistency you desire. I ended up using probably 1/2 cup of that mixture.


• Step 5: Finally, add the cooked Garden Rotini. Stirring occasionally, cook the mixture for an additional minute.

• Step 6: Then, plate and serve. This will make two full servings.

In case you're interested, this is the pasta maker I purchased from Amazon. It is not a time-saver as it still takes just as long to heat in the microwave as it does on the stove. The only labor-saver is that you don't have to use a separate collander to drain your paste. Instead, the lid has a drainer on one end of it that you utilize instead. So at least, there is one less dish to wash. This link will open in a new window.

Microwave Pasta Cooker - The Original Fasta Pasta (Red) - No Mess, Sticking or Waiting for Boil - Container, Lid & Strainer All In One

Recipe Source: This is the recipe I used as my reference for making the above meal. Her recipe called for lemon juice and garlic. Since there were already those two ingredients in the hummus, I did not bother to add either one to what I was cooking. Her recipe also called for spinach. I decided to use green beans, instead. This link will open in a new window.

Creamy Hummus Pasta recipe by Alena Menko

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com