Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.

To a blender or food processor, add the pistachios, nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt, and the lemon zest. Pulse a few times until the pistachios begin to break down into smaller pieces. Add the mint and parsley and pulse a few more times to begin breaking down the leaves. Scrape down the sides of your processor or blender, then add the lemon juice, maple syrup, and 1/3 cup of the olive oil and pulse until you achieve a thick pesto. Set your pesto aside.

Trim the woody bottoms off your asparagus. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle them with the remaining 2 tsp of olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt. Toss to coat the asparagus in the oil and salt, then spread out the spears out so that they aren’t overlapping one another. Roast in your pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 12-13 minutes until they are tender and beginning to caramelize around the edges. 

While the asparagus is roasting, cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 a cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. Add your cooked pasta to a large bowl along with some of the pesto and a splash of the pasta water. Toss, adding more pesto as needed to suit your taste. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen the pesto and yield a creamier consistency. 

Serve the pasta with a side of the roasted asparagus and garnish with brassica flowers and mint leaves if you like. Enjoy!