VeganMofo: Vegan Lite – Tempeh & Asparagus with Whole Wheat Pasta & Pesto

It’s Day 3 of Vegan Lite and I wanted some pasta last night. I dug through my fridge, pantry and cookbooks and I came up with this. It was nice and filling, but still healthy.
Pesto
1 1/2 cups fresh basil
3 T olive oil
3 T soy milk
1 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Blend in in a blender or food processor and set aside.

Ingredients
1 block tempeh (cubed)
1/2 can artichoke hearts (I had to use the rest of the left overs from last night)
2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (I only use the tips)
2 large handfuls fresh spinach (or as much as you want)
1/2 pound cooked whole wheat pasta (I used thin spagetti)
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth

Brown tempeh in a large pan using the olive oil. Add mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus and vegetable broth and saute for a few minutes before adding spinach. Now you can do the rest two ways, you can toss the pasta in the pesto and top with the veggies or you can throw the whole thing in one pot and toss with the pesto. I chose option two and added a little salt and pepper.