Creamy Red Pepper Pasta

I recently went to a naturopath to determine my crazy allergic reactions. During the past 3-4 years, I’ve noticed that I would get really upset stomachs from eating anything from the onion family. In the past year, I’ve woken up numerous times with swollen eyes and face. I suspected multiple things from shampoo, vitamin pills, creams and make up. I could not pin point the exact cause of these extreme break outs.

I decided I wanted to figure out what the triggers were and go get my blood tested for allergies. The blood test took a month for it to come back. During that month, I wondered and thought of all the combinations of foods that I would have to give up. Then the fateful day came and I found out that I had a food sensitivity to dairy!!

For the last 2 weeks, I’ve eliminated dairy from my diet to see if my allergies improved. For those 2 weeks, I’ve missed milk in my coffee, cheese on my toast and cheesecake. *sigh* Oh well! There are still lots of delicious foods that don’t involve dairy. Here is a creamy red pepper pasta that tastes delicious and sure to end your dairy woes!

Begin by taking 3 red peppers and placing them into a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until nice black char forms. This charing will allow the pepper skin to fall off and to create a sweet roasted pepper taste. When the peppers have turned black (yes black), place them in a bowl and cover. The steam and heat will help the skin separate from the sweet flesh.

When the peppers are cool to touch, peel the skin away. Remove the top and the seeds and set the pepper flesh aside.

Chop a small onion and 3 cloves of garlic. In a saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in some olive oil. Add some shrimp and cook until just pink.

The shrimp are ready when they shells turn pink and the flesh has turned from a translucent colour to a more opaque one. The longer you cook shrimp, the more tough and rubbery it becomes. Set the shrimp aside for later.

In a blender, add the red pepper, 2 cups of almond milk and an eighth of a cup of nutritional yeast. The nutritional yeast will give the sauce a cheesy taste. Blend the mixture until it is smooth. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

To thicken the sauce, add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch mixed with a tsp of water. Put the sauce back into the sauce pan and slowly add the cornstarch. Bring the pasta sauce to a boil and stir for 2-3 minutes.

If the sauce is still too runny, add a bit more cornstarch and water. Try to avoid adding the cornstarch directly to the pasta sauce as it will clump up and you will end up with a lumpy sauce.

Add the shrimp back into the sauce and heat before serving. This dish makes a great alternative to cream sauces! Give it a try!