Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Pasta (Vegan & Gluten Free)

I love carbs! When I was a professional athlete a lot of my meals was based around Carbohydrates, but then over the years and a few appointments with various 'sports nutritionists' (I say that reluctantly) I was advised to avoid Carbs. Yes you heard, I was running 70miles a week had 2-3 training sessions a day and I was told to cut out Carbs. At the time I thought this was fine, because it's the professionals telling you this, it's their job to know their stuff and they said I could potentially run faster. DUMB. SO DUMB. Did it make any difference?...Yes... I had no energy for training, my training quality went down, I was cranky and on edge all the time and I didn't lose weight which I thought I would. There were no positive effects to me cutting carbs out of my diet.

Now I know everyone is different but when I cut carbs I stop losing weight, when I eat carbs I lose weight! No joke. There's a misconception that carbohdrates are the devil food and if you want to lose weight everyone needs to cut them out and eat high protein instead. Well I'm here to tell you this is complete and utter rubbish. One type of diet does not work for everyone. Every single human on this planet has different DNA and not everyone reacts the same to food.

Some people look at a Carb and put on 4 pounds, some people can eat anything they want and not gain an ounce, some people just have to look at sugar/ fat/ protein and put on weight and some people can eat as much chicken, eggs, steak and lose weight. There is no ONE diet.

Take for instance a few of my family- Dad can drink a couple of pints everyday, eat big Sunday Dinners and not gain anything but if he eats desserts or sweets he gains weight. My Mam has chocolate, coffee and cake most days and she's tiny...yes she runs, but if she has too many carbohydrates she puts on weight. My sister is the worst of them all (in a lovely way) she can eat anything and everything and she never puts on weight, downsizes her potions and little and has one less chocolate bar a day and she loses it instantly. You see everyone is different even blood relatives!

 The various Sports Nutritionists I was working with didn't advice me as an Individual but rather as 'this is what works for most people'. So I now know that I will never respond to a high protein low carbohydrate diet, it simply doesn't work for me....but I know plenty of people it does work for. Books may tell you to eat this that and the other, but the bottom line is not all diets are suitable for everyone.

The number one rule I will tell you is Listen To Your Body. 

 The body is an amazing piece of equipment and it will tell you instantly if something is wrong. 

When I eat gluten, wheat, milk, eggs, beef, lamb, cashews or yeast I immediately get headaches feel very tired, sick and generally unwell. Keep a food diary and record how you react to everything you eat. A long process I know but it is completely worth it. 

Here's a beaut of a dish...Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Pasta. Because Carbs are amazing and fill us up and they don't make us fat.Well not me anyway....I once did Atkins and I put on weight, I stuck to it word for word and my weight went up! Hilarious. I was cranky, deprived and day dreamed about food all day. Now I eat Carbohdrates with every meal and I'm actually skinnier. I'm not talking about Carbohydrates from processed packaged rubbish, my carbohydrates are mostly from natural sources such potatoes,rice, various grains, oats, rice flour, fruit and vegetables and the pasta I use is rice pasta. I don't believe in one diet for all, and I'm sure there lots of people who react well to living on a high protein low carb diet. Not me though it just doesn't work. Since going Vegan I feel so much healthier, Im able to wake up much earlier and easier, I can concentrate more and I have more energy. When I don't eat this way I feel very unwell, its taken me a lot of trial and error over the years but I like to think that I've found the perfect diet for me.

If you are a carb concious then this sauce goes perfectly with courgetti :)

The ingredients in this are all so good for you and the basil fresh out the garden takes it to another the level.  Please don't use dried it's not the same. The whole family has tried this and they've said it's the best pasta sauce they've had.....and they are all Bolognese lovers! If you prefer a more Arribiata style pasta sauce then add a little fresh chilli.



Ingredients (serves 2)  

• 3 Whole Peppers (I used 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 orange)
• 250g Cherry Tomatoes (I used red, orange, purple) 
• Olive Oil
• 2 Whole Garlic Cloves
• 400ml Passata
• 1 Small White Onion
• Handful Fresh Basil
• Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Black Pepper
• Himalayan Salt
• Dried Oregano
• 160g of pasta (I used gluten free rice shell pasta)

Method

Put the Oven on 210 (electric) Cut the Peppers into large chunks, discard seeds and stalks. Place on baking tray with the Cherry Tomatoes, 2 crushed Garlic Cloves, drizzle with Olive Oil, sprinkle on Oregano, Black Pepper and Himalayan Salt and place in oven for 30mins. 

Chop up the onion and fry off gently in olive oil, make sure the heat is low and take your time to caramelise them, this should take around 10mins.

Pasta can take around 15mins put that on now so its ready in time.

Once done place everything but the garlic in the pan with the cooked onion (if you like garlicky dishes put them in, I prefer the sauce without it) put the balsamic in and fry for one minute, after this put the fresh basil in and cook for another minute, turn off heat.

Take a blender and blend everything up into a smooth sauce, put back on a very low heat and add the Passata, turn up the heat for a couple of mins and serves over the cooked pasta. Add some fresh basil leaves on the top.

Enjoy

Stace x