This is nothing like the sort of thing I usually eat. I used to eat lots of meals which consisted of loads of pasta with a light sauce like pesto, but I try to limit my refined carbs a bit, and also to include more vegetables with a main course.
But I’d had the book Vegan Italiano for ages and never cooked anything from it, and this recipe came recommended. I had a couple of stubby courgettes in the fridge so decided to give it a go.
It was the simplest thing I’ve cooked for ages and the more we ate it the more we enjoyed it. It was so light and fresh, and the lack of spices and heavy seasoning really made the other ingredients sing through.
Here’s what I did:
Cook enough pasta for 2 people (in our case, half a bag)
Cut the courgettes into small cubes and add to boiling salted water for about 3 minutes.
In my mini chopper I put about 1/4 cup whole almonds, a good handful of mint, a small clove of garlic and some salt. Whizzed it up then added nearly all the courgette and gave it another whizz.
Mixed up the pasta with the sauce and put the reserved few bits of courgette on top.
Really summery and fresh; will make again!
Cooking the Vegan Books 
Sounds nice and springy.
A friend gave me Vegan Italiano recently, and this recipe became an instant classic!
I highly recommend the book overall, actually. Usually when I make pasta, my omnivore boyfriend mutters over it and then adds some cheese to his portion; in all the times I’ve used recipes from Vegan Italiano, he hasn’t done that once.
That’s the only thing I’ve made so far. What else would you recommend?