Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti

As I was cooking tonight I said to myself "how have you not blogged about sun dried tomato and garlic spaghetti yet?". It's my favorite way to eat pasta. Ever. I was first introduced to it when my mom started whipping it up for my parents during a childhood phase when I refused to eat pasta covered in anything that wasn't my mother's red sauce (I would immediately dismiss any other sauce as inferior).  Once that bratty stage was over, I tried and fell in love with this deliciously garlicky pasta. It became one of my staple meals in college, for good reason. It's super quick, spicy and comforting -- three fantastic qualities in almost any dish.

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti
Makes 3 large servings

• 1 13.25 oz / 375 g box spaghetti or other long pasta
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 heaping cup julienned sun dried tomatoes (I used the kind packed in oil)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
• Optional: A generous sprinkling of almesan 

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a couple teaspoons of salt. Toss in the pasta and cook per the packages directions until al dente.
2.  When the pasta is about 5 minutes from being done, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Toss in the sun dried tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for another 3 minutes.
3.  Drain the pasta well and add it to the saute pan with the rest of the ingredients, stirring to coat each spaghetti strand in the garlicky, tomatoey goodness. After about 5 minutes, or once the pasta is piping hot, transfer to three plates and serve with a sprinkle of almesan.

Almesan
Adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terri Hope Romero's Veganomicon
Makes about 3/4 cup

• 2 tablespoons raw or toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1.  If your sesame seeds are toasted, skip this step. If they're raw, as mine were, toast them in a dry pan over medium heat until they're light brown and fragrant, which should only take about 5 minutes.
2.  Combine all the ingredients into a blender (or in my case, a Magic Bullet -- the shaker lids are so perfect for this!) and whiz until completely pulverized. Sprinkle over pasta, pizza, salad or whatever else your little heart desires.