Spaghetti with Steamed Vegetables & Tamari-Roasted Almonds

While not usually associated with Asian seasonings, spaghetti adds substance to this simple dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 carrot, cut into thin julienne strips
• 1 small green courgette, julienned
• 1 yellow courgette
• 335g Semi Whole Wheat or Spelt Spaghetti
• 2 1/2 tbs peanut oil
• 1 tbs plus 1 ts Clearspring Shoyu Soya Sauce or Clearspring Tamari Soya Sauce
• 1tbs plus 1 ts fresh lemon juice
• 1tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 1/4 tsp Clearspring Traditional Sea Salt
• 1tsp Clearspring Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 30g Organic Tamari Roasted Almonds

Method

1. Place the carrots in a steamer basket over 2 cm boiling water, cover, and steam for 3 minutes. Add the courgettes over the carrots, cover and steam for 1 minute more. Remove steamer basket from pan and rinse the vegetables with cold water. Set aside.
2. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water according to the directions on the pack, until ‘al dente'. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water.
3. While the spaghetti is cooking, whisk together the peanut oil, tamari, lemon juice, grated ginger, garlic, salt and toasted sesame oil. Add the coriander.
4. In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with the dressing, add the steamed vegetables and spring onions, toss well and serve with a sprinkling of tamari-roasted almonds.

Chef

John & Jan Belleme

John & Jan Belleme are leading autorities on the healing powers of traditional Japanese foods. Before turning his focus to food and health, John was a research biologist for the Veteran's association in Miami, Florida, and he worked in laboratories at the Universities of Miami Medical School and Harvard University Medical School.

For more than twenty-five years John has applied his background in medical research to interpreting the literature on traditional Japanese medicinal foods.

In 1979, after living and studying in Japan for over a year - where the Bellemes learned the craft of miso making firsthand - they co-founded the American Miso Company, one of the world's largest producers of traditional miso.

Since the 1980s the Bellemes have researched and written, and in many cases illustrated, over 130 published articles on the subject of Japanese foods, including four books: Culinary Treasures of Japan; Cooking with Japanese Foods: A Guide to the Traditional Natural Foods of Japan; Clearspring - The Real Taste of Japan and The Miso Book.

John and Jan travel throughout the eastern United States giving lectures about authentic Japanese foods, and every winter, with partner Sandy Pukel, organise a week-long health cruise that features prominent experts in macrobiotic cooking, healthy living, holistic medicine, yoga, meditation, shiatsu, Pilates, and natural beauty aids. They live in Saluda, North Carolina.