Month: March 2019
Artichoke Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
It all started because there was a jar of marinated artichokes staring at me. Ok, so it wasn’t staring at me exactly. But it was sitting on my counter for longer than anything sits on my counter. So one day I thought I would pull together whatever else I had in the house and concoct something. This is, of course, my favorite way to cook!
An important thing to remember is ‘eating healthier’ doesn’t have to mean you ‘go without’. Moderation is a piece of that. So is smart substitutions. Although I’ve been gluten free for years, and there are good gluten free pastas out there, I have really grown to enjoy lentil pasta as an option. Particularly in the winter when spaghetti squash or my favorite spiralized zucchini from the farm market are harder to come by. There are a variety of options in most grocery stores now though so experiment for what you prefer. If you decide on a rice or pasta with less protein, you can ramp it up with some shrimp or chicken.
The first attempt at this one didn’t go quite right. The problem was I was working with ‘leftover’ ingredients and there just wasn’t quite enough of everything. Particularly the pesto. So here’s round two and I am very pleased. It seems simple, most ingredients straight from the pantry, but the flavors together are delightful.
One of the best things about this recipe is you can adjust any of these ingredients based on what you, your family, or guests prefer. I don’t understand those people who don’t like mushrooms, but they’re out there. So go ahead and modify if you need to.
Ingredients:
– Lentil Pasta (1 box)
– Artichokes (1 can)
– Sun-Dried Tomatoes (1/4 cup, drained and packed)
– Olives (about 1/4 cup, drained)
– Mushrooms (1/2 cup)
– Pesto (1 jar)
– Garlic (3 cloves, minced)
– Basil and Oregano (2 TBSP each, can substitute or add favorite herbs)
– Olive Oil
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Mixing Bowl
– Pasta Pot
Cooking Instructions:
1. Fill pot with water and boil for pasta. Once boiling, cook pasta for 8-10 minutes.
2. While you wait for water to boil, begin marinating artichokes in olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, and herbs. Mix and set aside.
3. Drain pasta and leave in strainer while you prepare vegetables.
4. In same pot you made pasta, heat 1-2 TBSP olive oil and add artichokes and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften.
5. Add olives, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto and cook until heated through.
6. Mix in pasta. Serve.
Chocolate Chia Banana Pudding
I try to limit dairy intake from time to time so I’ve really grown to enjoy chia seed pudding. I have made it with almond milk and canned coconut milk and both are great and give different consistencies. The almond milk with chia becomes more gelatinous while the coconut milk maintains more of the coconut cream texture with chia seeds throughout. Both are great so I encourage you to try different options.
This recipe came by happenstance. After making a roasted chicken with lots of veggies and doing some other meal prep for dessert, my husband asked me what was for dessert. Well, we just recently got back from a 5 day cruise where ever meal had a starter, entree and dessert so I was going with more of a clean eating approach.
My first thought was a banana peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chips. We had two bananas left so it would have been perfect except I didn’t have time to freeze them. But, I had made some chia pudding for breakfasts/snacks for the week. I could definitely do something with that. I wanted to keep it easy and not dirty a lot more dishes so Chocolate Chia Banana Peanut Butter Pudding it was!
While I was focus on dessert, this would be a great breakfast parfait. May even try substituting Nutella. You can always blend the ingredients together if you prefer, but obviously the presentation will be a little different. Lots of options though.
One thing to note is that the longer you let your chia pudding set, the better it will be. Overnight is ideal so you don’t end up crunching on any chia seeds. In a pinch, you can do it in a few hours but I would recommend stirring more often. This helps the chia seeds from clumping as well so you should be able to get the more pudding-like consistency.
Ingredients:
Make Chia Seed Pudding base at least a few hours to a day ahead:
– Chia Seeds (1/2 cup)
– Milk of choice (2 cups)
– Honey (1-2 TBSP)
– Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
For pictured pudding dessert or breakfast
– Chia Seed Pudding (1/2 cup)
– Cocoa Powder (1-2 TBSP)
– Banana (1, ripe, mashed)
– Peanut Butter (1-2 TBSP)
– Chocolate Chips (topping)
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Bowls
– Whisk
– Fork
Cooking Instructions:
1. Chia Seed Pudding Base: Whisk all ingredients listed above in a bowl. Set aside and whisk again after 15 minutes. Cover and place in refrigerator for two hours to one day.
2. When ready to prepare, take 1/2 cup prepared chia base and mix with cocoa powder. This is the bottom layer.
3. Mash banana and layer on top of chocolate chia pudding
4. Top with peanut butter (or nut butter of choice) and chocolate chips