Healthy Eating/Easy Pasta

Some years back, sundried tomatoes were everywhere. Regardless of the restaurant, it seems that every chef found some way to incorporate them into a recipe. Now it seems that they are no longer the hot item, and in fact, I rarely see them mentioned. But, I LOVE sun dried tomatoes. So, if you like them too, here's a super quick and easy pasta dish that not only makes up for a quick supper, I think guests would enjoy it as well. 

Sun Dried Tomato, Feta and Roasted Walnut Pasta 

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

3 oz. package sun dried tomatoes (julienned)

2 tablespoons olive oil  

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup roasted chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 pound of fettuccine cooked to package directions (I used a spinach fettuccine) 

salt and black pepper to taste

While bringing water to boil for pasta, heat olive oil. Add chopped onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add julienned sun dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pasta is ready.

Prior to draining pasta, add 3 tablespoons of pasta liquid to sun dried tomato and onion mixture. 

Place pasta in a serving dish and top with the sun dried tomato and onion mixture.

Top with crumbled feta cheese. Toss all together. Cheese will begin to melt and become creamy.

Top pasta with fresh chopped chives and roasted, chopped walnuts.

Dish up and enjoy!

There's little that I enjoy more than a satisfying dish of pasta, a lovely glass of red wine, all served and enjoyed in the garden. Just the loveliest ending to a day. 

Hope you enjoy if you give it a try!

Rhonda

Sunday's Supper/Pasta with Cabbage, Roasted Walnuts and Granny Smith Apple

Since tomorrow is Easter, I thought I would go ahead and post this tonight. The ingredients of this pasta dish may seem a little strange, but the combination is absolutely delicious! 

There's more to the pasta than just cabbage, walnuts and a granny smith apple, but this was the beginning. As you can see below, there's also a sliced purple onion, and a few ingredients that you don't see below :)

Pasta with Cabbage, Roasted Walnuts and Granny Smith Apple

Ingredients;
1pkg. of whole grain pasta
1 small head of cabbage chopped
1/2 purple onion sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts roasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium Granny Smith apple thinly sliced
1 heaping teaspoon fresh chives chopped
1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles
1 teaspoon dried sage
salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Boil a pot of salted water for pasta. 
While water for pasta is heating, heat the olive oil and saute onions and apple together until tender and slightly browned.
Roast walnuts.
Once the water has come to a boil, add pasta and cook as directed on package. 2 minutes before pasta is ready to drain, throw in the chopped cabbage. Once pasta is ready to drain, reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
Drain pasta and cabbage combination then place in serving bowl. Combine with the sauteed apples and onion, the roasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and sage. If  needed, add the cooking liquid to give the pasta a creamy texture. Mix well. Add salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. 
Top the pasta with the chopped fresh chives and enjoy!  

The sauteed apples give the pasta just a hint of a tart taste and onions give it a savory taste. 

The pasta is creamy and yet no cream has been added, except for the natural cream of the cheese. 

My husband was intrigued by the combination of ingredients, but after one taste he said, "this is company pasta!" In other words, pasta meant for guests :) I thought that was a rather nice compliment.
My chives are up in the garden, so I am looking for every possibility to use them. I just love spring chives!
If you give the pasta a try, I hope you enjoy it too!
Rhonda

Sunday's Supper/Fettuccine with Walnuts, Lemon and Herbs

Happy Sunday All! I'm quite early with this post today, and it may be a good thing as it will give you time to pop over to the store and pick up any ingredients that you don't have and make this pasta for yourself. Trust me, your mouth will be happy if you do :) Aromatic herbs, lemon and walnuts over pasta? YUM!!!
The recipe that I'm sharing today comes from a very interesting website called, Not Without Salt. The blog is written by Ashley who began her career plating desserts at Spago in Beverly Hills. On her way to becoming a pastry chef, she found out she was pregnant, and life changed. Ashley believes that good food is simple, and her blog is about helping us eat well and enjoy the process of cooking. Her posts are beautifully written. 
This pasta is so easy to make and there are only a few ingredients, but the flavor almost jumps out of the bowl.

The recipe that is posted was adapted from a recipe found on another website, so changes are easy to make based on your tastes. Once again, I made a few changes.
You can find the recipe HERE, and my changes are below. 
*I used 2 cups of chopped parsley rather than just 1.
*Rather than just the rosemary, I used a mix of fresh rosemary and thyme.
*I added broccoli to my pasta
*I used Romano rather than Parmesan cheese. I like the sharper taste of Romano cheese.
*And finally, I added a little of my red pepper mix. I like to grow Habeneros, Cayenne, and Jalapenos in the summer. Once they are harvested, I let them dry and then I grind them down to use as seasoning.     

The fresh herbs and the grated lemon rind smelled heavenly as they cooked. 

When I add broccoli to my pasta, I like to add the broccoli to the boiling pasta 2 minutes before the pasta is ready to drain. Works perfectly. The broccoli is steamed and yet still has a bit of a crunch. 

All the ingredients have been combined and the pasta is ready to serve. 

My husband said that the addition of the walnuts made the pasta all the more special.
This is a pasta that not only your family will enjoy, but it would be lovely for a dinner party as well. In fact, I don't think anyone would miss not having meat. The pasta would be great paired with the Tomato and Roasted Lemon Salad that I posted HERE.
Enjoy!
Rhonda

Healthy Eating/Asparagus and Arugula Pasta Salad

I just had breakfast and this picture makes me hungry!!! I made this pasta dish earlier this week and it is absolutely delicious! It's from a fun food blog called Gimme Some Oven. The blog is all about.creating fun, creative and easy recipes that are not only good to eat but healthy as well. The dish is called Asparagus and Arugula pasta Salad and you can find the recipe HERE.

Asparagus is in season right now, so it's full of flavor as well as nice and tender.

While shopping, I found this pasta. It's a blend of 8 whole grains and very flavorful. 

I basically followed the recipe. I began by filling my pasta bowl with fresh arugula.

Because I am looking to add as much color as possible to my dishes, I decided to add quartered grape tomatoes, love these little buggers!! At this point, I sat the bowl aside,cooked my pasta and chopped my asparagus. Be sure to follow the instructions and add the asparagus toward the end of the pasta cooking time.

Once the pasta was cooked and drained, I did not cool it down with water, rather I returned it to the pot and added the rest of the ingredients, except for the toasted pine nuts. Before combining the pasta with the arugula  and tomatoes, I sprinkled a little olive oil over the arugula. The pasta mixture was then added to the salad mixture and topped with the pine nuts. So in essence, I served the pasta warm. It was great! We had leftovers, so for the leftovers, I simply piled a little fresh arugula on a plate and topped it with the pasta salad and served the leftovers cold.
If you like pasta salad, by all means give this recipe a try. It's great warm and cold, so it will make a wonderful leftover, lunch time dish as well.
On the Gimme Some Oven website, you'll find a nice printable version of the recipe, so be sure to pop over. If you would prefer a vegan version of the dish, just leave out the feta cheese.

Here's to your health!
Rhonda

Sunday's Supper

When fall rolls around, one of my favorite dishes to make is a simple pasta with cabbage and sage. It's very easy to make and it nourishes my soul. A friend recently sent me a couple of cabbages from his garden and I immediately knew what I would do with them. If you love pasta, but would rather cut down a bit on the carbs, give this recipe a try! I cook the cabbage with the pasta. As the cabbage cooks, it flavors the pasta.
Be sure to use fresh sage and chives. I grow both, but you can also find the fresh herbs in your grocery store.
If you would like a meat option, bacon, ham or a chicken sausage makes a nice addition.

Cabbage Pasta with Sage and Chives

Ingredients;
1 small cabbage coarsely chopped
1/2 bag of whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup of chopped chives
3 tablespoons of chopped sage
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large clove of garlic chopped
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of grated Asiago Cheese(Parmesan is a nice alternative)
salt and black pepper to taste
red pepper optional
Meat of your choice

1.Fill a large pot with water and add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil.
2.Saute chopped garlic in olive oil over medium heat, just until it begins to turn golden. Add sage, chives(reserve a little of the chives and the sage to sprinkle over pasta) and red pepper. Saute for a minute or so just to release flavors. Set aside.
3.In a separate pan, add the corn starch. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add the butter and continue to stir until mixture just begins to thicken. Add garlic and herb mixture, 1/2 cup of cheese and set aside. If adding meat, cook separately and then add to sauce at this time.
4.Once water begins to boil, add pasta and cabbage. Boil until pasta is cooked. Drain cabbage and pasta mixture and place in serving bowl.

5. Pour sauce over pasta. Toss well to combine.
6. Sprinkle pasta with reserved herbs and cheese and serve.

Enjoy!!!
Rhonda