Pasta Recipes – God Save the Quinoa

Category: Pasta Recipes

21
Feb
2016

Eggplant Meatballs

Add a healthy spin on your favorite Italian dish by using hearty eggplant in lieu of meat to make these delicious, flavorful “meatballs”. If you are not regularly eating eggplants, you should consider doing so. This is one vegetable that has no shortage of health benefits and this eggplant meatball recipe is the perfect place to start!

Eggplants contain many different vitamins such as Vitamin C, Folate, B Vitamins, and Vitamin A, to name a few. These vitamins are important because they help improve your body’s overall health, boost your immune system, and can even help improve resistance to various diseases. You’ll also find Phosphorous, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium in eggplants. These minerals are known to help prevent arthritis, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Last but not least, eggplants are an excellent source of Dietary Fiber. Consuming foods with Dietary Fibers are good for you because they help you feel full after a meal, keep your digestive system working properly and protect against colon cancer. At 35 calories per cup, eggplants are one veggie you can’t help but love!

True story- when I first made these my husband walking into the kitchen and asked, “why are you making meatballs”. For those of you who are not aware, I do not eat meat. That being said, I do eat fish (there’s no way I could stay away from sushi) and I do cook meat, but only for others to enjoy.

When I told him what I was making, eggplant meatballs over my favorite zucchini noodle recipe, he seemed a little confused. He was taken aback by the fact that I was using eggplants to make “meatballs” and remained skeptical, wondering how a veggie-on-veggie dish was going to fill him up.

I have to be honest, it did take a little bit of convincing him that “no, these will not taste like rubber”, “yes, you will like them”, and “no, I’m not making you eat tofu”. Whether he believed me or not, I guess I will never know. He was a trooper and helped me roll the steamy eggplant concoction sitting in my food processor into the delicious “meatballs” pictured below.

Once your “meatballs” are arranged on a cookie sheet, pop them in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes. As these cook, they should change color and turn a darker shade of brown and the outer shell should become firm, but not burned. If you can stick a fork through them while they’re still in the oven, let them cook a little bit longer. You should expect the very bottom of your meatballs to be darker and crispier than the tops. Don’t worry- this is perfectly normal! The non-stick cooking spray you sprayed on your foil lined cookie sheet is the culprit.

Personally, I love serving these over zucchini noodles. My Favorite Zucchini Noodle Recipe is perfectly timed with how long it will take these “meatballs” to cook in the oven. Start cooking your zoodles immediately after you put your “meatballs” in the oven to avoid waiting around or snacking before dinner. This recipe is posted on my blog.

If you want to mix it up a little and incorporate these “meatballs” into other dishes throughout the week, I also enjoy eating these with whole wheat pasta (any kind) or over a dark leafy green salad with fresh tomatoes and quinoa. I’d love to hear what types of dishes you paired your eggplant meatballs with!

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15
Feb
2016

My Favorite Zucchini Noodle Recipe

categories: 30 Minute Meals, Pasta Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

Everyone has their favorite “go-to” recipes when they’re not quite sure what to make. Today I’m going to share one of mine. My Favorite Zucchini Noodle Recipe can be made in less than 20 minutes and served with any kind of fish or meat.

I feel like I say this a lot, but this recipe is SUPER easy to make. If you’re just starting to learn how to cook, this is the recipe for you! After making this a couple of times, you won’t even need to look at the recipe, I promise!

If you don’t have a spiralizer, go and get one… NOW! A Spiralizer is an excellent tool to have in your kitchen… and an inexpensive one as well! If you do a little searching (gotta love Amazon Prime) you should be able to find a great spiralizer for about $40 or less. I absolutely LOVE using my spiralizer and can’t wait to share all of my spiraled creations with you! For those of you who were wondering, these Zucchini Noodles, or “zoodles”, were the first thing I made when I got mine!

I always keep the “key” ingredients of sun dried tomatoes, basil pesto, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper fully stocked so I can whip this up when I’m not quite sure “what to make to go with XYZ”. These Zucchini Noodles are the perfect base for any type of fish, chicken, meatball, veggie meatball, etc. The options are endless, and this is why its one of my favorites!

Simply spiralize your unpeeled zucchinis. NOTE: I like to bad the excess water out of mu zoodles by wrapping them in a paper towel before cooking. This will prevent excess water/juices from collecting in your skillet.

Heat EVOO in a skillet and add in your zoodles. Season zoodles with salt, pepper, paprika, and lemon juice and cook for about 5-7 minutes on medium low heat. When zoodles begin to become soft and translucent add in your sun dried tomatoes and basil pesto. Stir on low heat for a few minutes until everything (especially basil pesto) is well combined.

When ready, remove from heat, top with fish, meat, or veggie meatball of your choice and voila, dinner is served! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy!

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01
Apr
2015

Green Cashew Pesto Stir Fry

categories: Pasta Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

“It isn’t easy being green”- Kermit the frog.

While it might not be easy being green, it can be easy eating green. I know, it sounds weird (maybe a little gross depending on how “in touch” with your inner child you are) but I promise its easy AND healthy!

I recently purchased a spiralizer, which by the way was the BEST PURCHASE EVER!!! (Be expecting more spiralizer recipes to be posted soon). Anyways, my spiralizer enables me to make zucchini noodles in about 3 minutes tops, and I’ve been experimenting with TONS of different recipes. So far, I have yet to be disappointed.

Although I threw in some tomatoes to add some color, this recipe is full of my favorite green foods; zucchini noodles, broccoli florets, asparagus, broccoli slaw, and fresh basil pesto.

Start by spiraling 2 medium zucchinis to make your zucchini noodles. Chop your asparagus into 1.5 – 2 inch pieces and set aside. (Don’t forget to break off the bottom of the asparagus before chopping!)

Heat your Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in a pan on medium-high heat. Stir in the minced garlic once EVOO starts to sizzle. Place your zucchini noodles, asparagus pieces, and broccoli florets into the pan. Toss veggies until they are coated in EVOO and let them sit. Stir once they begin to sizzle.

Once everything is starting to sizzle add your broccoli slaw to the pan. If you’re wondering what broccoli slaw is, its basically shredded broccoli stalks and carrots. I purchased mine in a bag from Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find broccoli slaw at the store you shop at, you can sub for shredded carrots instead.

Spice up your life…er dinner by shaking salt and pepper to taste, cumin, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice over your veggies. Leave your veggies on medium-high heat to absorb these flavors for a minute or two.

Add your (WHOLE) cherry and sun-dried tomatoes before reducing the burner to a medium heat. Let veggies sit for 4-5 minutes, tossing every now and then so that the stuff on the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn.

Once your veggies begin to soften and appear to be translucent, stir in basil pesto and raw cashews. I recommend using fresh basil pesto. Make this by combining 2 cups of fresh, chopped basil, 5 TBS EVOO, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 TBS pine nuts, 2 tsp minced garlic, and ¼ tsp salt in a food processor and pulse until reaching desired consistency. Voila! You now have fresh homemade basil pesto!

That’s all folks! Serve and enjoy! 🙂

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03
Jun
2014

Mac and Cheese Shrimp Muffins

categories: Appetizer Recipes, Fish Recipes, Pasta Recipes

Happy Monday! Who loves mac and cheese? I know I do! When I think about mac and cheese I reminisce about being a little kid, making my kraft mac and cheese in the microwave, and pouring on the cheese powder which magically turned into delicious, gold sauce and immediately inhaling the entire bowl! That mac and cheese was oh so good but it was SO unhealthy. I mean whats so appetizing about powdered cheese anyway? …not much if you’re sober or above the age of five.

Anyways, I am happy to announce that I have discovered a delicious mac and cheese dish that will make you feel like a kid again! They’re made of whole wheat macaroni noodles, are cooked in a muffin pan, and only have 120 calories per muffin! (Compare that to the 230 calories per serving of the traditional stuff). Serving sizes are important to look at when you’re examining the damage on the back of the box. A lot of times a box will say “150 calories per serving” then in teeny tiny letters either below or right above that it says “Servings per box: 4”. If you don’t pay attention to these little details you could set yourself back 600 calories and not even realize it!

While we’re on the subject, did you know that a serving size is supposed to be (give or take) the size of your fist? Whats that? Muffin pans are also about the size of your fist? And these mac and cheese “muffins” are baked in muffin pans?! Hello portion control! PS- since this recipe makes 12 muffins, this is a great meal to cook at the beginning of the week (aka Monday) and eat leftovers for dinner on Wednesday or to bring to work for lunch! To do so, simply reheat in the microwave!

TIP: Measuring out portions of food before you eat or cook them will help prevent overeating, which makes you feel better and reduces the amount of uneaten food you throw away leaving room for leftovers.

Enough about that. I’m hungry. Let’s talk food.

This dish is super easy to cook! In fact, when I started learning how to cook this was always my go to! Now, stating the obvious, but you start by cooking the macaroni noodles. Notice that the recipe calls for 4 cups of COOKED macaroni (AKA about 2 1/2 cups of dry macaroni). Measure out 4 cups when you’re done cooking it. Oh, and be good to your body and use the whole wheat stuff. I promise you won’t regret it!

I decided to add in fresh spinach and shrimp to get some extra nutrients and protein. If you have a picky eater on your hands, let me share a secret with you. If you disguise healthy food in traditionally un-healthy food, its not only a great April Fools Day prank but this picky eater of yours will never know what they ate! Add the shrimp to the boiling noodles so that it can wilt.

To stay on the slim side I used Kraft fat-free sharp cheddar cheese and gruyere cheese, which is a wonderfully delicious version of swiss cheese and can be found in the specialty cheese aisle.

While the noodles are cooking make the cheese sauce. Start by making a roux (a french way of thickening up a sauce) in a saucepan by whisking together flour and butter. Add in some minced garlic and whisk until fragrant. Pour in some skim milk and bring all contents to a boil before reducing the heat to medium. Stir in the cheddar and gruyere cheese and mix until sauce becomes thick. Try to resist sampling the cheese sauce if you can!

Next, remove the sauce pan from the burner and off the heat and stir in the egg and egg white. By now your noodles should be done cooking, so drain them using a pasta strainer and measure out 4 cups of macaroni. Add those 4 cups to the cheese sauce and mix well before stirring in diced cooked shrimp. Make sure you use 1 1/4 cup of diced, COOKED shrimp! (Ask for 1/2 pound at the fish counter).

Generously grease a 12 pan muffin pan and scoop your soon to be mac and cheese into the cups filling almost to the top. (See picture above for reference). Pop those babies in the oven at 400 degrees F for 10 – 15 minutes and you’ve got yourself some fancy mac and cheese!

Let them cool before removing from the muffin pan. I know it will be hard to wait a few extra minutes, but if you want them to stay in the shape of muffins keep your hands off! Sprinkle with some fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!

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10
Apr
2014

Pesto Pasta with Veggies

categories: Chicken Recipes, Meat or Veggie Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

Pasta is always one of my go to recipes when I want to make something quick and easy. If you love pasta, you’re not alone! Did you know that the average American consumes about 20 pounds of noodles each year? Unfortunately, the majority of these consumed carbs tend to be your traditional, refined “white” noodles. So, if this statistic applies to you, make a goal to be one of the “average Americans” that eats 20 pounds of whole-wheat noodles per year. Now, don’t freak out and start googling “what’s going to happen to me if I ate 20 pounds of white noodles last year”. Nothing is wrong with you and you’re going to be fine, I promise.

So why should you eat whole-wheat noodles instead of their white counterparts? Well, white pasta is made from refined flour and during the refinement process the germ and bran are removed from the kernel, leaving only the endosperm, which is grinded up and used to make the white noodles we all know and love. This causes a problem because the majority of the nutrients in grains come from the germ and bran. Since the germ and bran are removed during the refinement process white noodle eaters are missing out on the nutrients and health benefits associated with eating whole-wheat noodles. We’re talking natural fibers, iron, B vitamins, protein, and micronutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and selenium. To put it simply fiber will fill you up so you won’t overeat, B vitamins help speed up your metabolism, Magnesium helps strengthen bones and promote muscle function, and Selenium helps protect your immune system. Need I say more?

Now that you know the health benefits whole-wheat pasta provides, here’s a little FYI. If you’ve never cooked with whole-wheat pasta be aware that it usually takes a little longer to cook and depending on the brand you buy can have a weird texture. Don’t worry, as long as you don’t over cook your pasta, the texture should not be an issue. If you’re not sure which “whole-wheat” version to buy (beware of impostors) one of my favorites brands is Healthy Harvest. In fact, it’s the brand I used in this recipe, which I’m sure you’re dying to know about. Moving on. 🙂

This is a great on-the-go recipe! This dish can be made in 30 minutes or less, and what’s even better is its chock full of veggies. This recipe calls for basil pesto, and I usually make my basil pesto at home. If you want to take a stab at it, it’s extremely easy to make as long as you have a food processor. If you don’t have one I highly suggest getting one! The big ones can be pretty expensive, but you don’t need a big one, well not for my recipes at least! I have a small 4-cup Cuisinart one that I bought for $39! It works like a charm and I guarantee you that its money well spent!

If you want to make basil pesto at home (pictured above) all you have to do is chop 2 cups fresh basil in the food processor, then add 5 TBS EVOO, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 TBS pine nuts, 2 tsp minced garlic, and ¼ tsp salt and combine until reaching desired consistency. Voila! Now you have fresh homemade basil pesto!

Like I mentioned, this recipe can be made in under 30 minutes. Timesaving tip: While the asparagus is roasting in the oven cook the pasta and make the basil pesto (if you decide to go the homemade route) so that when your asparagus is done cooking, you’ll be over halfway finished! All you’ll have left to do is combine the mozzarella, basil, asparagus pieces, and sun dried tomatoes with the pasta and fry an egg or two to place on top!

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