Homemade Gluten-Free Vegan Pasta

So I've recently decided to adopt a plant-based (aka. vegan) style of eating... and just to complicate things a little more I'm also allergic to gluten (more to come on my discovery of my gluten allergy and my transition to a plant-based life). 

So needless to say I need to creative when it comes to cooking. And let me tell you I have come up with some amazing concoctions that I plan to share with you over time! 

So I got home from work today and was really craving some pasta... And I know I could have just run to the shops to pick up some gluten-free pasta, but I decided that it would be more fun to make it (and in the process dirty the whole kitchen for my husband to clean up!). I mean we all have a pasta maker just laying around in the kitchen, right??

I had to play around with the amount of liquid and rice flour to get the right consistency, but was finally able to get the dough nice and smooth, and ready to roll out. I have to admit, I am not a professional, so my pasta could probably be a bit prettier! 

Once I had my pasta noodles all ready I put a pot on to boil, added some EVOO and salt (they say your water should be as salty as the ocean) and 5 minutes later, presto! Homemade pasta ready to consume with your favorite sauce! I paired it with my version of a vegan creamy sweet potato sauce. Absolutely delicious!

Meal: Dinner entrée
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Plant-based, Vegan
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 (2 if you're big eaters like my husband and I are)

Ingredients

• 360g (2c) raw spinach
• 2 tablespoons milled flaxseed 
• 4-6 tablespoons warm water
• 100g (3/4c) brown rice flour
• 60g (1/2c) corn meal (millet, oat, or rice flour ok)
• 30g (1/4c) corn flour/starch (tapioca starch ok)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil 

Directions

1. Puree the spinach, milled flaxseed, and 4 tablespoons of the warm water in a blender or food processor and set aside. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.
2. Combine the flours, starch, xanthan gum, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix them together.
3. Combine the spinach mixture and oil in a small bowl.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir them together until crumbly. Test to see if the dough holds together by forming a small ball. Add up to 2 tablespoons of water as needed, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is stiff, yet smooth. If your mixture becomes too sticky you can add more corn flour/startch.
5. Roll the dough into small balls.
6. Use a pasta machine or rolling pin to roll out the dough balls and make your desired pasta shape. If you are rolling by hand you want the dough to be rolled out on a well floured surface to a thickness of 2-3cm. Then you can use a knife or pizza cutter to cut your pasta. 
7. Fill a large pot with water and salt (they say it should be as salty as the ocean). Bring it to a boil and then add the pasta.
8. Cook the pasta for 3-5 minutes. Drain, add sauce, and enjoy.
    

If you have a chance to try it out, let me know what you think in the comments!