Pesto Orzo Salad

Ingredients

• ¾ cup dry orzo
• 1 bunch broccolini
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 1/2 cups cooked butterbeans
• 155g small tomatoes (chopped in half)
• 2 cups rocket
• 1 small shallot (finely chopped)
• 6 large green olives (pitted and chopped)
• 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• oil-free almond pesto :
• 12 raw almonds
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ⅓ cup soy milk
• ⅛ teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 pinch sea salt flakes
• 1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 cup basil (packed tightly)

Preparation

1. cover the almonds in boiling water for 30 minutes. drain, peel off the skin (it should come off easily) and set aside. cook the orzo in a large pot of salted water according to the packet instructions. drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. trim off the bottom fibrous part of the asparagus. chop the rest of the asparagus into bite-size pieces, keeping the heads whole. trim off the bottom fibrous part of the broccolini. chop the rest into bite-size pieces.
3. prepare a medium saucepan with water and bring to a soft boil. prepare a large bowl filled with ice water.
4. cook the asparagus and broccolini in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. drain and transfer to iced water for two minutes, then drain again. this process is called blanching, and it prevents the vegetables from overcooking while retaining a vibrant green colour.
5. prepare the dressing: in a small blender, add the almonds, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, chilli flakes, salt, pepper, and basil. blend until perfectly smooth. add a little more milk if necessary (this will depend on your blender).
6. in a large salad bowl, combine the rocket, butter beans, orzo, tomatoes, broccolini, asparagus, shallots, olives, pine nuts, and the dressing. adjust salt to taste.