Pasta with Chickpeas, Olives and Vegan Parmesan

I wanted something light for dinner and plant based and this is what I came up with.  I drew inspiration from Giada's recipe of Rigatoni with Greens on her show (check this site ).  I modified it using what I have.  As I said I wanted to have the dish to be totally vegan so I used a recipe for Vegan Parmesan that I saw on The Chew which was made by the hosts, Michael Symon and Clinton Kelly instead of the Parmesan that Giada used.  This is a light and refreshing dish.

Pasta with Chickpeas, Olives and Vegan Parmesan

Adapted from this site 

• 1 lb pasta (I used mcaroni), be sure to reserve the pasta water when you drain
• 1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and washed
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or applesauce to make it oil free)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 12 olives with pimento, chopped 
• 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced to bite sized pieces or two handfuls of leafy greens like Swiss chard or spinach
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cup vegan Parmesan (recipe below)
• zest of one lemon

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Reserve 1 1/4 cups of the pasta water

Heat the oil at medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the chickpeas and heat with stirring until golden brown and crispy. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and the chopped olives and cook with stirring until garlic is lightly brown. Stir in the lettuce or leafy green of choice and the salt and cook till wilted.  Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and simmer for a minute.  Add the drained pasta and add 1 1/2 cups of the vegan Parmesan and lemon zest and mix till the pasta is coated with the vegan Parmesan.  Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water.  Simmer till the sauce has thickened.  Top with remaining 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan.

Vegan Parmesan (make twice the recipe to have enough to use for the pasta dish above)

Adapted from The Chew

• 1 cup walnuts (the original used cashew)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse till the mixture turns to a coarse powder texture.