Recipe Redo - Spicy, Garlicky Pasta

I've been having fun playing with the recipe calculator on the website I use to log my food. I'm also learning a lot, like not all fruits are created equal. For example 2 whole cups of watermelon contains only 66 calories and 8 grams of sugar, while 1 medium red delicious apple has 80 calories and 16 grams of sugars. And also that I have to pee almost immediately after eating 2 cups of watermelon. Oops, sorry that's probably "tmi".

 

I've also been enjoying reading a cookbook by Susie Middleton called The Fresh & Green Table. The book is written very lovingly and she strives to relate all the information and experience she has to the reader. Susie is not a vegetarian, but believes in "moving the vegetables to the center of the plate" so most of the recipes in the book are vegetarian or easily adaptable - as in just leave out the bacon. Susie is very detail oriented and specific about preparation and methods. For instance, one ingredient for the following recipe is listed as:

 

 "1 pound/455g small BROCCOLI FLORETS (from about 4 crowns), cut into pieces about 1 to 1 1/4 in/ 2.5 to 3cm long and 1/2 to 3/4 in/12mm to 2cm wide" 

 

Chapter 10 is devoted to "Mastering the Basics" including "How to get the best results from a recipe" and "How to slice, dice, chop and process tricky ingredients". I think it's a fabulous cookbook for a beginning/intermediate home cook who wants to be a little more refined and likes to follow recipes to a "T". The book would make a wonderful wedding gift for a young couple, but there are plenty of delicious recipes more experienced cooks will enjoy as well. Susie really knows how to highlight farm fresh vegetables and make them shine so that as a vegetarian, I don't feel like I'm eating a side dish.

 

The first recipe that jumped out at me was this pasta dish, especially since I already had all of the ingredients on hand. The recipe states that it "serves 3 generously", but after reading it through, I thought probably not if you are trying to lose weight. After entering the recipe into the calorie calculator on the "my fitness pal" website, I found that one serving contained 773 calories, 78g carbs and 48g of fat. While I'm sure it would be delicious as written, I would need to make some adaptations to stay within my calorie budget for the day. So I modified it by cutting back on the olive oil, using dry sun dried tomatoes instead of oil packed, increasing the garlic and red pepper flakes for a little more umph. And lastly I gave it a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors. I used a whole pound of pasta so it served 6 generously at only 471 calories, 64g carbs and 17g of fat, which was well within my calorie budget and tasted absolutely delicious!

 

 

 

 

Spicy, Garlicky Broccoli and Cellantani

makes 6 servings

 

1 lb dried corkscrew-shaped pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb small broccoli florets

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (dry, not oil packed)

2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

juice from half of a large lemon

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Remove 1 cup of cooking water and set aside before draining. While pasta is cooking, place sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl, cover with water and microwave on high about 1 minute, allow to soak in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and finely chop tomatoes. In large frying pan or wok heat oil on medium, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 1 minute then add broccoli. Cook and stir another minute, making sure garlic doesn't burn. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water and cover with a tight fitting lid to steam the broccoli. When most of water is evaporated and broccoli is softened, remove from heat. Add drained pasta, remaining 1/2 cup of pasta water and goat cheese. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with Romano cheese.

 

Adapted from recipe for Spicy, Garlicky Corkscrew Pasta

from The Fresh and Green Table by Susie Middleton



Red Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

 

In a little over two weeks I've lost 6 pounds! Even after spending a long weekend in Tucson with some awesome friends, I managed to stay on track. Admittedly, I allowed myself one cheat day, where I went over my calorie goal - but not by a lot. (I totally caved when I saw the white chocolate raspberry mousse.) The next day I got right back on track & I still managed to lose 3 pounds this week. Yeah me! 

 

On Friday we ate lunch at a place called AJ's. It's a high-end grocery store in a strip mall in Oro Valley, Arizona. They have a huge deli counter area with all sorts of pre-made deliciousness, similar to Whole Foods, and an outdoor grill area with burgers & sausages. I had veggie sushi rolls and half an acorn squash filled with apples & topped with streusel (heavenly - watch for future post!) Well just about everyone else had a big, fat, juicy hamburger of some kind or another. Even when I used to eat meat, I was never a huge hamburger fan - I'd usually get a fish or chicken sandwich. but these burgers looked really good! So when I got home I just had to make some veggie burgers, and you know what? These bean burgers totally satisfied me. The patty is full of flavor and has great texture, but for me it's all about the salsa. Sweet and spicy at the same time, it makes my tongue sing and dance!

 

 

Red Quinoa Black Bean Burgers
makes about 8 patties

 

2 c. cooked red quinoa

1 c. old fashioned oats

3/4 c. corn masa

2 cans black beans, rinsed & drained

1 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced

1 poblano pepper, seeded & diced

2 jalapenos, seeded & diced

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten (or vegan equivalent)

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cayenne

2tsp salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. additional oil for cooking patties
Mango Salsa (see below)
romaine lettuce
 ripe avocado
ripe tomato
slices of raw red or white onion
whole wheat hamburger buns

Saute diced vegetables in olive oil over medium-high heat, until softened and lightly browned about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir in cooked vegetables. Pulse half the mixture in a food processor until beans are mashed and mixture is combined but you can still see some chunks. Add this back to remaining bean mixture and stir together with a large spatula until well mixed. Form into 8 patties and press to about 1/2" thick. I have a 2-ounce cookie scoop, and used three level scoops per burger. Saute in batches in olive oil until crispy and browned about 5 minutes per side. Serve with lettuce, and sliced avocado, tomato and onion if desired, with or without the bun.

Mango Salsa
makes about 2 cups

2 large ripe mangoes
1 large jalapeno (seeded if desired), minced
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
juice from one lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
salt


Peel, seed and dice the mango, mix with remaining ingredients. Add salt to taste. Toss well to combine. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

One patty served on a bed of romaine lettuce with toppings and 2oz. mango salsa is about 375 calories, with the bun about 495.

 

 

 

 



Enjoying a REAL Spring! Chunky 3-Bean Veggie Chili

Having grown up in the Midwest, I really enjoy all four seasons in this order: Fall for the beautiful leaves and crisp days. Winter because given the choice, I'd rather be too cold than too hot, and snow just makes me happy. Spring when the tulips, daffodils and crocuses pop up through the last of the snow. Last and definitely least, is summer. Don't get me wrong, I do not miss the humidity of the Midwest one bit, but it gets really hot here in southern California - 110-112° is not at all unusual. And if you ask me, we don't even get a real winter here, but talk to a local and they will be freezing at 50° - give me a break! The seasons go from summer to fall to spring and right back into summer again. Quite often by the middle of April the temperature is already climbing into the 90's and the kids are jumping into the pool right after school. That's not even what I would call a real spring!

Even though I know summer is right around the corner, we've enjoyed a nice long REAL spring this year. After a rainy February, other than a couple of hot days here and there it's been in the 70's during the day and 50's at night - which means I can still make some chili. This one is chock-full of veggies and gets it's depth of flavor from several different chili powders. All these veggies would tend to water down the flavor, so it calls for quite a heavy hand with seasonings.

 

 

Three-bean Veggie Chili

makes 6-8 servings

 

1 small onion

4-6 cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small carrot

1 small zucchini

1 small red bell pepper

3 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp green New Mexico chili powder

1 Tbsp jalapeno chili powder

3-4 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne

2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp finely ground black pepper (or to taste)

15oz. can black beans

15oz. can kidney beans

15oz. can great northern beans

15oz. can petite diced tomatoes

15oz. can crushed tomatoes

6oz. can tomato paste

2 cups water or vegetable stock

 

 

 

Dice onion and mince garlic. Saute in olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Chop remaining vegetables into small dice. Add carrot to pot and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add zucchini and green pepper, and cook another minute or two. Add seasonings and stir to coat evenly, saute for a minute or two. Add tomatoes, paste and water/stock. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir and cook over medium heat until lightly bubbling. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more water/stock if too thick. Serve with minced raw onions and a dollop of plain non-fat yogurt if desired.

1 cup of chili served over half of a large baked sweet potato is about 250 calories