Green Goddess Pasta

02 Jun 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I love making delicious comfort food that is also super healthy! There was such a great smell to this dish, I knew the flavors would rock! Michael confirmed this as well since he was the one eating it! I love all things Kale so it was so great to add this to the pasta for that healthy, tasty punch. Plus Broccoli, olive oil and garlic; such a good combo! The pasta I used is so fun and colorful, anyone would love it!

pastaGreen Goddess Pasta

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

serves 6

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
6 tablespoons vegan or organic dairy butter (I prefer to use organic butter rather than vegan because of all the processed ingredients, but you could probably substitute oil instead to keep this vegan, or use vegan butter of course 🙂 )
3 quarts water
about 6 teaspoons fine sea salt
12 ouces whole wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni (I used Eden Organic Vegetable Shells Golden Amber Durum Wheat Pasta)
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise ad cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 bunch (about 4 ounces) kale, cut into 1/2 inch long strips
1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup pine nuts

Preparation

  1. In a 1 quart saucepan over low heat, combine the garlic and coconut oil ad cook, swirling occasional, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat, add the butter,  swirling until it melts and set aside.
  3. In a -6 quart stockpot over high heat, combine the water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until about 1 minute shy of being done.
  4. Stir in the zucchini, broccoli, and kale. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked , about 1 minute.
  5. Drain the pasta mixture, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water.
  6. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in the garlic butter, pepper, 3 tablespoons f the pine nuts, and the remainging  teaspoon of salt, garlic and onion pepper.
  7. Transfer the pasta to plates or a platter, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of pine nuts and serve

Spaghetti and Meatballs

19 Apr 2009 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags: , ,

Is there anything more comforting than spaghetti and meatballs? It was a real pleasure to eat this after the 8 days of Passover!

I make this with turkey so it is healthier than another red meat recipe. I quadruple this meatball recipe (and package them in single serving foodsaver bags) so Michael can pull them out of the freezer whenever he wants for a quick meal. I love my tomato sauce, such good flavor and a little kick.

I, of course do not eat the turkey meatballs. I normally buy Nate’s Meatless Meatballs but this time I tried Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs and they were so incredible! So good!

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

  • 1 1lb of Cooked Pasta

Turkey Meatballs

meatball recipe from Gourmet

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, cooled, and chopped
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (preferably flat-leafed)
  • 1 large egg, beaten lightly
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

In a bowl stir together well turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, onion, pine nuts, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper and form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. In a large heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook half of meatballs, shaking skillet, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towels to drain and brown remaining meatballs in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner.

Marisa’s Spicy Garlic Tomato Sauce

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree
  • 2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and halved lengthwise
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or to taste

Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, salt and sugar and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. As the sauce is cooking use a whisk to break up the whole tomatoes so there are chunky bits. After the sauce has been simmering for an hour, if you feel the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.

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