Whole Wheat Tortellini with Creamy White Sauce
I want to thank those of you who offered suggestions for helping my knees while training. I really appreciate it! 
I also started seeing a chiropractor, as I’ve had problems with my right hip over the years, and I felt like it was putting more pressure on my left knee. Good news! The chiropractor says it’s all fixable, it just needs to be worked out. The right side of my pelvis has moved slightly up, which means there is more pressure on my left leg to bear my weight. No wonder I’m all gibbled! In the meantime, I have made it to Week 7 of Learn to Run 10k, and I completed a 7 1/2 k run on Monday. But for the next week, I am taking a break from the program. On my running days I will do some light yoga, and on my rest days I will just rest. I don’t want to permanently damage my knees, so I’m taking a much deserved break. If I’m feeling better by next Wednesday, I will jump back into it then.
Now onto food!
I literally just made this for Dallas and I as an early dinner, and we both agreed it’s a winner! I will absolutely be making this sauce again. The tortellini itself is vegetarian (store-bought), but you can substitute any pasta you desire. The sauce itself is entirely vegan, and it is based off of this recipe. The sauteed kale and mushrooms are mandatory, obviously.
As the semester gets busy, I tend to push to the side things that I find comfort in, such as cooking and writing my blog, because I feel like I have more “important” things to do. Something I have to remind myself about here and there is that taking time for me is just as important as making time for studying. Being able to eat a home-cooked meal with Dallas is comforting, and of course, spending time with friends should happen at least once a week, too. So no matter what it is that you’re busy with, make sure you make the time to take care of yourself. You deserve it!
As a side note, I have to add: I have discovered the beauty of cue cards!! Why did I not use these amazing study helpers before?? They’re really helping me to not only remember information, but understand it, which is really the way to get it to stay in your brain. Cue cards make ALL the difference!
Anyhoo, back to that pasta!
Enjoy, foodies! From my kitchen to yours <3
| Whole Wheat Tortellini with Creamy White Sauce |
- 2 cups whole wheat tortellini, uncooked
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- .
- For the sauce:
- 1 tbsp Earth Balance (vegan margarine)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, heaping
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups almond mylk, plain unsweetened
- 1/4 cup Daiya mozza shreds, heaping
- 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Drain water, and separate cooked pasta evenly into two bowls. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, saute mushrooms and kale in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Stir every 1-2 mins, allowing to cook until veggies are golden. Separate evenly into bowls with pasta. Set aside.
- To prepare the sauce, warm up the Earth Balance and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and allow it to cook until golden, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour, Italian seasoning, chili flakes, and black pepper. Allow a roux to form, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
- Pour in almond mylk and continue to stir, bringing sauce to a boil. Melt in the Daiya and sprinkle in the nutritional yeast. Continue to stir and cook until Daiya has melted and lumps are gone.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in sea salt. Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes to thicken.
- Pour sauce over prepared pasta and veggies. Enjoy warm!
peace, love, food <3
Char, xo
Categories: Pastas | 11 Comments
7,5k without stopping. You’re awesome! So sorry about the knee though. But a week of rest and light yoga seems to be a good idea. As you said. It’s important to take care of yourself! xoxo <3
Thank you, Malin! There were 4 1-minute walking intervals in there (according to the program) so it wasn’t a full-on run, but I definitely felt very good doing it
My knee and hip are already feeling better. I’m sticking to the elliptical, yoga, and seeing my chiropractor regularly. I should be back to normal in no time! Thank you <3 I hope you are well! Time to trade packages soon? xoxo
Oh well, still a long run ;) Glad your hip and knee are feeling better! LOVE to swap packages with you again. Let’s do it soon as in NOOOW? I will gather some fun stuff for you this week and have it in the mail on monday. Any thing in particular you want my dear? I have to tell you, I’m completely off sugar for a couple of weeks to clean and heal myself. So no dried fruits, agave, honey or other sweeteners etc for me. Only super healthy stuffz. Are you ok with that?
Send me anything! After your last package, I have complete faith in you, haha
I won’t be able to make it to the health food store until Monday night (it’s quite far), but I can have it shipped out by Tuesday or Wednesday. I will do my best to avoid all sweeteners, though it may be hard to find you treats! hehe. Looking forward to the exchange <3
Haha, good! Easy to please
Hopefully you’ll have the package by the end of next week! Yes, unsweet treats. There’s a challange for you ;) xoxo <3
Yaaayy looking forward to it!! haha, if I can’t find anything, mind if I get you some things you can eat AFTER your cleanse? Everything will be super healthy anyway
Of course my dear! Looking forward to it as well!!
Will you be going to the Times Colonist 10k in Victoria next Spring? If you are, I might see you there!
Funny, my cousin just asked me if I would do that with her! I’m thinking yes, that would be fun
So I’ll see you there!
Cannot wait to try the pasta! Looks delicious!!
Thank you, Lenny & Stacie! I hope you love it