In 2010 I was honored to be one of the finalists for a contest for Vegetarian Times. I made a dish I was super proud of and that is quick and easy to make. However, I am always looking for new recipes to try or modify my old dishes either to fit how my stomach is now due to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or just to jazz things up. For this dish, I added a few veggies and used Ditalini pasta instead of Orzo since due to the quarantine, you can’t find some of the items you usually get at the supermarket. Enter the food Macgyver!!! Below is a pasta dish full of flavor and very filling.

Ingredients

Serves 6

1 can of low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth

1 16-oz. pkg. Ditalini pasta

1 Tbs. olive oil

16 oz. Shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 12-oz. pkg. soft silken tofu, drained and diced

3 Hass avocados, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. fresh thyme

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tbsp. espresso

1 yellow squash, seeded and diced

1 green squash, seeded and diced

2 brown kumato tomatoes chopped

salt to taste

1. Bring water to a boil in large pot over medium heat. Add Ditalini pasta, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, and transfer to large bowl.

2. Heat the olive oil oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, squash, tomatoes spices, vinegar and 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and cook until squash is softened. About 8 minutes. Set aside.

3. Blend diced tofu, lime juice, basil and avocado cubes with remaining broth and blend until smooth and creamy.

Stir avocado sauce and veggies with their juices with the pasta, and season with salt to taste.