However much I love eating pasta, there have been times when I know I have eaten too much of it, preventing myself from getting a balanced diet and being able to keep my macros where I need them. Due to the high amounts of starchy sugars in pasta too much can make me feel bloated and lethargic. 

Courgette

A great alternative to pasta is Spiralised Courgette or Courgetti Spaghetti! It makes a healthier gluten free alternative. Courgettes contain much less fat content than your classic white pasta and you’ll still feel full after a Courgetti Spaghetti meal! This is because of the fibre and water content of the courgette, they are also a great source of potassium and vitamin C!

Of course if you did still want that carb hit, then the Vegan CBD Pesto can work very well with conventional spaghetti or pasta too!

Hemp Seed Oil

The oil from the hemp seed is highly nutritious, having the perfect blend of omega 3 and 6. The vitamins and fatty acids in hemp oil may help keep the skin healthy and clear.

Olive oil has 40% more saturated fat than hemp oil, meaning hemp oil is a great alternative to use in your day to day cooking, and still get those all important fats whilst cutting out the saturates!

Recipe

Ingredients

8 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved

4-5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Hemp Seed Oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

15g Walnuts (Toasted)

1/2 Clove Garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

2 Large Courgette, spiralised or very thinly sliced

15g Black Olives, pitted

Pesto Ingredients 

2 1/2 Cups full of Fresh Basil (large stems removed)

10g Walnuts (if nut-free, try sunflower seeds!)

10g Hemp Seeds

4 Large Cloves Garlic (peeled)

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice and Zest

4-5 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 Tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)

5-6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Hemp Oil

2 Drops of CBD Oil

5-6 Tbsp water (plus more as needed)

Process

Part 1

Start by making the pesto. Add the basil, walnuts, garlic, hemp seeds, lemon juice and zest, nutritional yeast, and sea salt to a food processor, or small blender, and blend on high until a rough paste forms, make sure you don’t over blend here.

Part 2

Add extra virgin hemp oil a little at a time. Then add 1 Tbsp of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached – a thick but but easily mixable sauce.

Part 3

Now time to taste and adjust the flavour as needed. Add more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavour, salt to bring out flavours, nuts for an earthiness, garlic for a harsher flavour or lemon juice for a zesty kick.

Part 4

Then pop the half tomatoes with 1 tsp oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and some seasoning into a frying pan and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are coated in the balsamic and garlic and start to ooze tomatoey goodness!

Part 5

Pour a kettle of hot water over the courgetti spaghetti and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain really well and then toss with the pesto and season well, making sure to evenly coat the noodles. Now add the tomatoes, olives and toasted walnuts to serve your courgetti. If you have anything extra you want to add feel free, we added some balsamic glaze, micro herbs and rocket. It was heavenly!

Part 6

Enjoy!!

It’s been great to work with Trewhitts over the last few weeks, they have shown us some brilliant ways to incorporate our full-spectrum CBD oil into some amazing dishes. This is the second in the series, it was an absolute pleasure to cook and tastes absolutely great!