"Creamy" Pesto Sauce

2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Pink Himalayan)
1 pound tofu, drained (I used soft)

Combine all ingredients, except tofu, in a blender or food processor that has been fitted with the metal cutting blade; blend until smooth.  Cut tofu in chunks and process until smooth.  Serve over pasta.

Notes: I tossed my pesto with spelt spaghetti noodles. It made enough to serve over 1 1/2 pounds of pasta.  If you toss it with the pasta like I did, I would suggest tossing the pasta with olive oil first since it came out a little dry.

You can also just leave the tofu out and it will be a regular pesto sauce.  I added the tofu since I needed to use it up and I wanted some extra protein.  I couldn't taste it and my family was none the wiser!

Butternut Squash Sauce over Pasta

I found this recipe while looking for recipes to use up the rest of my silken tofu.  There are a few changes that I made to it (some of the changes are because my oven isn't working).

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8

1 butternut squash
1 pound silken tofu or 1-2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5-10 fresh, large basil leaves
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable or chicken broth
Gluten-free pasta or spelt pasta
Parmesan cheese

Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat.  Meanwhile, peel and cube butternut squash.  Add squash to pot; reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until just soft; drain.

Add oil to a medium sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Add butternut squash and sauté for 5 minutes stirring once.  Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; sauté for one more minute.  Remove from heat.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Add squash mixture to a food processor and puree.  Add tofu or yogurt and puree, scraping sides as necessary.  Add basil leaves, salt, pepper, and broth until desired consistency is reached.

Serve sauce over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.