Category Archives: Vegetarian

Light summer Salad with Grilled Corn and Mushrooms

Posted on by
6

Salad, Salad, Salad. It seems to be something that I always crave. Whenever I go a day or so without a salad that is all I start to crave; not at all a bad thing might I add!
My husband and I love to have a nice big salad for dinner at least once or twice a week and we try to come up with different ways of making it, we always add something different, the possibilities are endless as to what you can add to a salad and also to the way you prep it.

I especially love to grill some of the ingredients and when it’s hot out and you just feel like using the grill it’s perfect. Grilled vegetables are amazing and add so much flavor to what might seem like a boring meal. In this recipe we had found some nice big mushrooms and corn and so we decided to add that to the salad, it married so well together I had to post the recipe so that you all could try it at home. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did. You can serve it on the side or as a main dish (which is what we did..) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 bag mixed salad (I like Italian)

1 handful of arugula

1 handful of Baby Spinach

2 ears of corn, cleaned

4 big sized mushrooms, or 2 Portobello’s

6 grape Tomatoes, sliced in half

1 can quartered Artichokes, drained

4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil

2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Lemon, squeezed

Salt and pepper, as needed

Preheat your grill. Wrap your corn in aluminium foil and place on the grill for about 20-30 minutes, turning over after 10 minutes.

In the mean time clean you mushroom caps and sprinkle salt and pepper and 1 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin olive oil, set on the grill and allow to cook until golden brown, flipping once; about 10-15 minutes.

Place your salad, arugula, baby spinach, tomatoes and artichokes in a large salad bowl. By now your corn and mushrooms should be ready so turn your grill off and set aside. With a knife remove the corn from the cob or husk and add to your salad. Add the remaining olive oil, the vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper mix together well and serve. Once plated place the mushroom caps on top of the salad and eat. Yum!

My Cleansing Vegetable Soup

Posted on by
9

So, as you all know I just finished a 10 day cleanse. I like to come off of it and introduce a nice vegetable soup with only seasonal, organic and fresh ingredients. I strongly believe that whenever you come off of any cleanse or detox you should slowly introduce food, now this soup is perfect for that, but it’s also perfect for when you are feeling sluggish or when you are detoxing but don’t want to do anything drastic have a day of this soup and you will feel fantastic the next day!

My husband loves to eat this soup whenever I make it. Although he’s not a big fan of the cleanse, he loves detoxing with this delicious vegetable soup. It’s packed with nutrients and it’s so beneficial to the body and digestive tract. You can really put anything that you find in season this time around I added pretty much only green vegetables because that is what I found in season. use what you find and like and make sure to add very little salt, you don’t want to retain too much water and besides too much salt isn’t good anyways. I hope that you enjoy it and that you give yourself an opportunity to occasionally eat only veggies……It’s GREAT and really beneficial!
You will notice that when you do introduce meat you feel way more sluggish and different, I am not a vegetarian by any means I love my Prosciutto Di Parma (or San Daniele), grilled chicken and fish. But I feel fantastic taking a break. And so will you!

Ingredients:

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Carrot, chopped

Handful Parsley, finely chopped

2 cubes Vegetable bullion, No MSG or Preservatives

5 Zucchini, chopped

1 bunch Asparagus, chopped

1 handful Green Beans, chopped

2 handful Baby Spinach

Salt and cayenne, to taste

 

Boil first 4 ingredients in a pot for about 30 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook to desired doness.  Add the salt and cayenne, if you want. Serve.

 

Meatless Monday Gourmet- Feta and Asparagus

Posted on by
13

This gourmet meatless Monday recipe, (which we actually ate on Thursday) was a total and wonderful concoction. I often think of things that I like to eat and imagine them paired up with other ingredients that I like to eat; I think to myself how it is possible that you can only have 1 of the ingredients that you love on a dish paired up with a not so favorite ingredient?! And so I think of what I loved of the dish I just ate and how I would make it at home or how I would’ve liked to eat it or what ingredients I would pair it up with to make that perfect plate.

Feta is one of those cheeses that I think that only paired up with the right ingredients you can actually enjoy. I have had it on several occasions and have to admit that I haven’t always enjoyed, sometimes it tastes fantastic and other times I wish it wouldn’t of been on the plate. My husband and I were thinking that we hadn’t had feta in a very longtime and that we should buy some, I instantly thought of pairing it up with green tomatoes and asparagus; given that he doesn’t like green tomatoes I figured that I would make his with grape tomatoes instead and so this is how this recipe came about, it was simple and delicious and after we finished my husband said that this would have to be made atleast once a week. I hope that you enjoy it. I include both pictures one with the green tomatoes and one with the grape tomatoes I just layered them differently, the one with the green tomatoes I put the green tomatoes at the bottom and the one with the grape tomatoes I put the grape tomatoes on top. Here are the ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 Green Tomatoes (or 5 Grape Tomatoes)

1/2 a pound of Asparagus, steamed

1/5 pound of Feta, thinly sliced

Handful of Parsley, chopped

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sal and pepper to taste

Slice your green tomatoes thinly and lay at the bottom of the plate, layer your asparagus evenly, drizzle on tbsp. of olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Layer the sliced feta and sprinkle chopped parsley finish with remaining olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper if needed and serve. Enjoy.

Low Fat Cooking – Simple Steps to Follow

Posted on by
36

Cooking and eating is the topic of most of my days, but the thing that I like to share with you today is how to manage cooking in a healthier manner that doesn’t require you to give up on flavor and still help you stay healthy and fit. I know that the word low-fat is not so attractive to some of you; and then again to some of you it might be just what you are looking for. I love that you can actually cook and eat low-fat and all you are giving up is the extra fat that your body doesn’t need. Now, I think that your body does need fats, but there is a difference between good fats and unnecessary fats. Let’s discuss this.

For instance, I think that grilled fish and chicken is more tastier than it cooked in a pan with oil, you give up on the fat because when you grill it the fat drains, hence making it less fat and the taste is delicious.
I also love lactose-free non fat or low-fat milk vs. the whole regular milk, the flavor is pretty much the same and all I am giving up on is fat.
Also I like to make my own buttermilk at home, by using the low-fat milk and lemon, it works exactly the same way but way less fat.

This is what I mean by giving up on fat but not on flavor. Things are yummy cooked the right way, we don’t have to get scared of fat, but we can learn to select it.
For example, I love almonds and walnuts, they are high in fat but all extremely good for you, so I eat them.
I love avocados, also fat. I love to use olive oil, also fat and I do like some good old Parmigiano Reggiano and will never eat any fake low-fat version, the real one is good for you and there is no substitute in my book.

So to follow are some tips on how to cook low-fat. Enjoy!

1) Grill, broil, bake, braise, steam, poach, slow-cook, and microwave foods instead of frying them. Sautéing is ok with minimal amounts of oil (preferably extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil), or use nonstick spray.

2) Choose chicken or turkey sausages or burgers instead of pork or beef sausages or burgers.

3) Choose extra-lean meat and skinless chicken breasts, and remember to trim all visible fat from meats.

4) Substitute most meat dishes each week with fish or vegetarian meals.

5) Use one egg and two egg whites per person in your favorite egg dishes or cakes; or cut fat and cholesterol completely by using egg substitute. Or also substitute 2 egg whites for one whole egg or 3 egg whites for 2 eggs.

6) Substitute whole milk for non fat or low-fat milk.

7) Oven-fry, bake or boil potatoes instead of making or buying French fries.

8) Choose reduced fat sour cream or yogurt instead of full-fat versions for stews, dips, spreads, and dressings.

9) Replace some of the fat in baked goods with applesauce, plain nonfat yogurt or low-fat buttermilk. (to make your own buttermilk: 1 cup low-fat milk mixed with 1 tbsp. lemon juice fresh).

10) Use reduced fat or fat-free cream cheese instead of the regular version for cheesecakes.

11) Use evaporated skim milk in place of light or heavy cream in soups and sauces.

12) Use fat-free chicken broth or fat-free milk in mashed potatoes, soups, gravies and stews

13) As a healthy alternative to frying, coat meat or veggies in egg whites then use bread crumbs and bake in the oven.

14) Cook fish in parchment paper or foil to seal in the flavor and juices.

15) Instead of eating potato chips, substitute pretzels, pita chips, or raw fruits and vegetables.

16) Rinse canned foods such as tuna, beans, and vegetables before using to wash away excess sodium or oil.

17) Thickening the sauce with cornstarch instead of a traditional butter-flour mixture.

18) Season vegetables with herbs and spices rather than sauces, butter or margarine.

19) Cook with lemon juice or herbs — these add flavors to food such as vegetables without adding fat.

20) Use mustard as a sandwich spread in place of margarine or mayonnaise. Or use healthy fats such as nut butters on your toast.

 

Healthy and Elegant Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Posted on by
20

Try this for your meatless Monday. I truly enjoy salads, and I like exploring in the vegetable world and seeing what I can use in a salad so that we never get bored or feel that it’s too monotonous. Salads don’t just have to be made of leaves, it can be of anything you like. I am determined to believe that the more you explore and diversify your meals the more you look forward to experimenting and eating healthy foods. i.e. if you make the same salad everyday, then you start feeling as if you are deprived but if you spice it up and add different things you start forgetting all the other bad foods and start craving and looking forward to the foods that you are eating.

I am a firm believer that you crave what you eat, if you eat too many sweets you are going to be craving sweets, if you snack on junk food, your body will crave junk food anytime it’s hungry, if you eat too much meat your body will crave more meat, and when meat (or any other food) is not included in a meal you may feel as though you are still not satisfied because your body will send signals to the brain that its missing something. So, if you eat veggies, or fish, or nuts, or any healthy eating habit you’ve formed your body will be more inclined to craving that vs. the other. I am not saying by any means that meat is bad for you, I understand that we all have our opinions and a good grass fed filet of meat is delicious; but eaten in moderation. In my opinion meat should not be eaten all the time, once in awhile is good, there are so many better for you replacements out there like; fish, chicken, eggs, nuts and etc….

However seeing that this is a dedication to meatless Monday lets stick to no meat at all. This recipe is nutritious, vibrant, healthy, low carb and most of all delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Zucchini

1 handful Rucola

1 Jalapeno, optional

1 handful Parmigiano Reggiano Shaves

2 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

Salt and pepper to taste

Start off by washing all your vegetables. Get a salad bowl and a mondoline*, now get you zucchini chop off the 2 ends and lay longways on the mandoline and start shaving (slicing) you don’t want them too thin, if you have one of those that adjust make sure that it is almost transparent. Once you are done with those add your handful of rucola and if your adding your chopped jalapeno add it now as well. In a separate little bowl mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and gently mix all the ingredients, be careful to not break the zucchini.

Plate and shave some parmigiano over the dish and serve. If you like you can drizzle a little olive oil over the dish or you could also sprinkle some toasted pine nuts. You can do what you like. I hope that you like and enjoy this recipe.

* if you don’t have a mandoline you can also use a peeler, hold the zucchini in your hand and run the peeler across, it should do the trick.

 

In a rush? Try this delicious Homemade Pizza

Posted on by
25

You ever think about wanting to eat a pizza, but would like it to be healthier? Lighter? Not as fattening as the ones you order out? Maybe more vegetables or only with certain ingredients? Real mozzarella? Well, you can have it.

My husband and I do love to indulge in pizza here in Italy they make it with really thin crust, fresh ingredients and with just about anything you want on it. One night we decided that we were going to make it at home, we didn’t have the time to make the dough from scratch but you can find fresh pizza dough in just about any grocery store, (especially here in Italy) although while in the USA I found it in quite a few grocery stores, just ask for it.
He loves his pizza with Mozzarella, Pomodoro (Tomato) and Salame Piccante (Hot Salami) and I like it with less cheese and with any vegetable offered, from Mushrooms, Artichokes, Radicchio, Cherry Tomatoes, Eggplant and always topped off with Rucola. (I do love Prosciutto Crudo on it also).

Now I think that when you make it at home you get to each prep it and make it just the way you like and it is not as complicated or as time consuming as it seems. It is not something unhealthy or bad for you when made at home because you pick the ingredients, the size and you know exactly what is going in it. (and that is always a plus)

I hope that you enjoy my simple explanation and ingredients and just remember this is easy, fun and great for any evening; whether it’s an activity with your kids, something fun for an at home date night, girls night as something to munch on, friends night or while having friends over for a dinner party as an appetizer you can do it whenever and look as if you worked for hours. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

2 Balls of Pizza dough

Flour for dusting

1 qt. lb Fresh Mozzarella, grated

1  4oz can of fresh Tomato Paste

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

And then you pick the rest of ingredients

Preheat your oven at 350°. In the meantime roll out your pizza over a floured surface to desired thickness, lay on parchment paper over a pizza tin.

Open your can of tomato sauce and ladle over the dough about 1/4 in away from edges (not too much, just enough to cover bottom evenly), sprinkle with a little bit of salt and 1 tbsp. of Olive oil. Get your mozzarella and evenly layer of the tomato sauce and then finish adding your ingredients, don’t over do it (remember healthy does it).

Put in the oven and bake in the center for about 20 minutes. You want to make sure that the cheese is melted and that the bottom in golden brown. Pull out of oven and if you ae adding rucola add it on top and serve.

*I added Tomato sauce, radicchio, proscuitto, salame and rucola.
**My Husband added tomato sauce, moazzarella, chilli flakes, prosciutto and rucola.

 

 

Skinny Italians Eat Pasta: Simple and Delicious 5-Ingredient Spaghetti Dish

Posted on by
51

I do like Spaghetti. But it is also one of those foods that if you are not careful can be really fattening. Its not the fact that pasta in itself is fattening, it’s the ingredients that we chose to dress the pasta with that often times makes the dish fattening. You are already eating carbs so I always say dress it light. Here in Italy most Pasta dishes are dressed really simple and with few ingredients, I think that this is the secret as to why Italians are really all so thin even though they eat pasta pretty much everyday. This is the secret: Always use fresh and natural ingredients, dress lightly and most of all don’t overcook.

Overcooked pasta sends blood sugar higher than pasta cooked al dente. Italians believe that overcooked pasta is harder on your digestive tract than al dente which is easier for your body to digest and doesn’t leave you feeling sluggish. When pasta is overcooked, it means it has absorbed its maximum amount of liquid. Pasta cooked al dente, on the other hand, can still absorb more during the digestive process and therefore digests more easily.

Pasta al dente also has a lower glycemic index than overcooked pasta, so it has less of an impact on your blood sugar levels. The Pasta Italians eat that are high-quality pastas made of hard durum wheat semolina and whole grain pastas have staying power. Their low glycemic indexes mean that they give you a slow, steady supply of fuel while allowing your blood sugar levels to stay constant, which helps protect you from getting hungry between meals. With all this said you should still have portion control (about 100gr. per serving), don’t have a huge plate and always try to accompany with either protein of veggies.

Oh, and please don’t ever rinse your pasta when you drain, unless you are serving a cold pasta salad. If you went over the cooking time you may throw in a cup of cold water in the pot to stop the boiling and cooking process of the pasta.

Ingredients:

250 gr. Spaghetti N° *

8 oz can of Natural Tomato Sauce

1 Garlic clove

A few leaves of basil

Drizzle of Olive oil

Salt to taste

(chilies optional)

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Place a pot of salted water to boil. In a medium sauce pan drizzle some olive oil, allow to heat and then add your garlic clove peeled but whole (you just want the oil to pickup the aroma), allow garlic to turn slightly golden and then remove from pan, add your can of tomato sauce now cover and allow to simmer.

By now your water should be boiling throw in your Spaghetti and allow to cook for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally. (Always follow cooking instructions on the box).

Throw in you basil leaves and add salt to taste in you tomato sauce. (Chilies as well if using.)

Drain your spaghetti and either join in together in the sauce pan and mix with all the sauce or you can put back in the pot add a few ladles of sauce and stir. Serve and add some sauce on top and sprinkle parmigiano on top.

Enjoy

* You can use any type of Pasta you have

What’s more Healthy than: Quinoa Primavera

Posted on by
34

So as you know I love Meatless Mondays and an All Vegetarian meal whenever I can….??!!

I especially love Quinoa, for me it’s the best substitution to heavy carbs and it marries so well with vegetables (really anything, in this case I am focusing on vegetables 😉 ), I love the fact that it really will just blend with whatever flavors it is paired up with.

It’s been winters and although I love salads it’s been pretty hard to just have a salad when outside it’s snowing or just plain cold. So, what I resort to is basically roasted, steamed or lightly sauteed vegetables. On this particular day I hadn’t gone to the store in a while it was snowing outside and I just was going to use whatever I had in the fridge. I always have a large variety of veggies so I figured that I would make vegetables accompanied by……??? I opened the cupboard and there was the Quinoa, so I decided I would make something using both. I seldom will serve my Husband just vegetables, unless requested by him. Even if I just eat all vegetarian I always try to make him, chicken, beans or pasta or something (healthy) to go along with the veggies. So in this case it was Quinoa.

I do have a post I completely dedicated to the Nutrition facts and health benefits for Quinoa, you can see here: http://mythineats.com/2011/11/11/quinoa-nutrition-facts/

However this dish is simple, light, healthy, low carb, and low fat. So I hope that you like it. You can serve as a main dish or as a side dish to chicken, salmon, meat, eggs; whatever you like or prefer. Enjoy

Ingredients:

Serves 2 as main dish 4 as side dish

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups of Water

1/2 cup frozen Peas

2 Zucchini

1 Endive

A couple leaves of Radicchio

A handful of Arugola, washed

Salt and Pepper to taste

A few drizzles of Olive oil

Preheat your oven at 180° C (350° F).

Now put the quinoa and the water in a small pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste, mix, cover and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and lower flame to minimum and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes (until all water is absorbed).

Get your slice in 1/4 in rounds and place on a baking paper over a big baking tray or cookie sheet tray, lay them out one by one. Do the same with the endive. You should be able to fit your leaves of radicchio also, drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables and add salt and pepper to taste. Put in oven and allow to bake for about 15 – 20 minutes.

Place about 1 cup of salted water to boil in a little sauce pan, once boiled throw in the peas and allow to cook for about 5-8 minutes. Drain immediately in cold water and set to the side

Fluff your Quinoa, join all ingredients in a salad bowl and mix lightly and if you like you can squeeze a little bit of lemon over it and serve.

I have included a photo with an fried egg on top, or you could also chop up some feta or any cheese you like and throw it in. There are so many endless variations. Enjoy!!!

 

 

Healthy Eating: How I spent my Valentines day!

Posted on by
10

Sorry I didn’t post anything yesterday but I was kept busy doing some special things for my Husband.
This is the first Valentine’s Day in Italy and also the very first we weren’t able to celebrate with a little wine or bubbly (or should I say I couldn’t drink)…. I take my responsibilities seriously and “the little Buddha” growing inside my belly was far more important than drinking, (although I really would’ve enjoyed it).

My Husband has been asking for pancakes for a few weeks now and I finally decided that when Valentine’s day came along I would wake up and make some pancakes for him, I am trying to still eat healthy throughout this pregnancy so  decided that I would go ahead and make healthy whole wheat pancakes. I did some research online of course to make sure that I had the right ingredients and also to see what recipes stuck out to me, I have to say that not one in particular did stick out to me, some called for buttermilk, others called for butter, some had a mixture of regular white flour and whole wheat flour so I decided that I would make them my way. They came out delicious and fluffy, that was my biggest fear being that they would be whole wheat I was afraid of them being heavy and not so exciting to eat. Well they came out fantastic….and the cappuccino along side was perfect!

You’ll need:

1 2/3 cup Whole-wheat flour

2 tbsp. Sugar

1 1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Eggs, separated

2 cups Lactose free low-fat Milk

In a bowl large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl beat your egg whites with a mixer or whisk until stiff peaks. In a separate bowl beat milk, yolks and vanilla until foamy.

Add milk mixture to the flour and stir, (it’s ok if a little lumpy) fold in your egg whites and stir until evenly colored. Heat your griddle or pan and add very little vegetable oil to the bottom and distribute evenly with a paper towel, once the pan is hot pour in your batter. Allow top of pancake to bubble and then flip and cook for another 2 minutes.You may serve with whatever you like. We served ours with strawberries and maple syrup. Enjoy.

After a delicious and healthy breakfast we both went off to run errands, work ..the usual. For dinner we decided that we would cook together so we started. My husband has been getting more and more into cooking as the years go by and likes to help out whenever he can and possibly learn a couple of things, which I am happy about because it’s nice to be cooked for once in a while. We both decided that we wanted a light and fish based meal, it ended up being 3 courses but extremely fast and easy. For the “antipasto” (starter) we decided to have “Gamberi con rucola e grana” which is very common to eat here and simple; it translates “Shrimp with arugola / rocquet and parmigiano”.

                                   

You’ll need:

200 gr. Peeled and deveined Shrimp

1 handful Arugola / Rocquet

A few Parmigiano flakes

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil your shrimp. In the meantime wash your arugola/rocquet and set aside. Grab your Parmigiano and make your flakes with a knife (just enough to put on top of dish). Drain your shrimp (remember shrimp cook fast, once they turn pink they are pretty much ready).

Lay arugola/rocquet at bottom of plate, add your shrimp and drizzle 1 tbsp. of olive oil and salt to taste. Now you may add your flakes of Parmigiano and enjoy! If you like you may drizzle a bit of Balsamic vinegar over top.

For the “primo piatto” which means “first course”, we had “Ravioli a forma di Cuore, riepieni di Ricotta e Spinaci, in salsa di Asparagi e Salvia” handmade (bought though) heart-shaped ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach, with an asparagus and sage sauce.

                           

You’ll need:

250 gr. Ravioli filled with Spinach and ricotta

1 cup of sliced Asparagus stems

1 – 2 sprigs fresh Sage

3 tbsp. Olive oil

1/2 tsp. Margarine

a few of Parmigiano Reggiano flakes

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt to taste

Put a pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile grab your asparagus, chop the stems off and then slice them into 1/4 inch thick. In a medium saucepan place the olive oil, once heated add your asparagus and allow to cook at medium flame for about 5 minutes, now lower heat and add your sage leaves, red pepper flakes and salt and allow to cook for another 5 – 8 minutes. At this point your water should be boiling so throw in your ravioli and allow to cook for the time indicated on the package. Drain, and put in the saucepan with the asparagus add your margarine and mix until everything is fully coated. Begin to plate, add your parmigiano flakes and Enjoy.

Then for the “secondo piatto”; our “second course” we chose to have some “Spiedini di Gamberi e Calamari con Asparagi alla griglia” which translates into “Shrimp and Calamari Skewers with grilled Asparagus”. It turned out wonderfully and a great end to the feast.

                     

You’ll need:

10 Asparagus

1/4 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 Calamari, cut in 1/2 and ready to be skewered

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lemon, quartered

Turn on your grill to medium and allow to heat (I used my stove top grill because it’s snowing outside).

Steam your asparagus for about 5 minutes, set aside. Grab a medium bowl and throw in your shrimp and calamari, pour a little olive oil on top, add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, mix it altogether and start to skewer, some shrimp, a calamaro, some shrimp; on to the next. Once you are finished you may bring over to the grill and allow to cook, about 5 minutes on one side and then flip; don’t overcook. Always remember that once the shrimp turns pink on both sides it’s cooked. Add your asparagus as well and allow same cooking time as skewers and then flip. Once your done plate, drizzle some olive oil over your asparagus and ad salt as well. Squeeze lemon over the skewers and enjoy this dish as well.

I hope that you guys have enjoyed the recipes. I know this looks like a lot, but it wasn’t; it was simple and we really enjoyed cooking and eating what we had made together, it was a nice experience and my husband was a wonderful help. We topped it off with a Chocolate “Bacio” and Tiramisu (but this recipe is to still to come).

We ended up watching Casablanca because neither of us had ever watched it and it was a nice stay at home, just us night. We figured that this is the last Valentine’s that we were going to have our house all to ourselves before the “little Buddha” comes and we wanted to enjoy it to the fullest…..and of course the fact that I just felt too lazy to go out in the cold weather with this belly and all. But it was nice to know that after being married for 7/12 years we can still enjoy each others company without having to necessarily go out, and without wine.

I willl say goodbye with this; This is what my Chocolate Bacio read last night:

P.s. I am about 23 and 1/2 weeks pregnant, sorry about the cleavage.

Try this: Delicious Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Tagliatelle with Mushrooms)

Posted on by
21

If you’ve been following my blog you know how much I love to eat healthy and when it’s vegetarian it’s all the better. I think that sometimes we do get the misconception that if it’s healthy it’s probably not quite as good or that it’s not going to curb that craving we are having at the moment for something not too healthy. Well, I can assure you that it is possible to have a delicious and healthy meal all at the same time!

As you already know I love mushrooms, they do have a reputation of being slimy, or too mushy; however the truth is that they aren’t. The mistake alot of us make when cleaning mushrooms is washing them. However, we are not supposed to wash mushrooms, (and please never, never soak fresh mushrooms) the way we are supposed to clean a mushroom is with a damp cloth, you should gently wipe away any dirt, and in the hard to reach places grab your marinade brush (make sure it’s dry) and gently brush away any excess dirt; voilà you have a clean and ready to cook mushroom. Mushrooms are very porous and moist already, so if you wash them they will absorb all the water and when cooked release all the liquid which in turn make it very soggy, cleaning it the right way will help the mushroom maintain a nice texture and also flavor.

In this recipe I use funghi Pleurotos, it’s a type of mushroom that is quite common here in Italy you can find it all the time at the grocery store. I have not ever seen it in the USA but I would replace it with a Portobello, Porcini or Champignon any mushroom you find should be fine. This is an easy and healthy dish, very few ingredients and time are required, but you’ll look like a million dollar chef. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

250 gr. Tagliatelle*

8 oz. of Mushrooms**

1 garlic clove

4 tbsp of Extra virgin Olive oil

a handful of chopped Parsley

grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and Pepper to taste

crushed Chili pepper to taste (optional)

Place a pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime start cleaning your mushrooms, once they are clean you can slice into 1/4 inch thickness, if the stems are long remove the stem and slice separately then join together all sliced mushrooms and set aside.

In a medium or large sauce pan heat up your olive oil and join your garlic (whole but peeled). If you are using chili peppers you can throw in now as well. Allow the garlic to get golden and remove, throw in your mushrooms and let sauté at medium heat stirring occasionally (not too much). Also add salt; if you feel the need you may add a drop of water to the pan, so the mushrooms don’t stick.

By now your water should be boiling so throw in the Tagliatelle they should only cook for about 4 minutes (always follow box instructions). Drain the pasta and join to the mushrooms, mix together and turn off heat. Add the chopped parsley and pepper. Serve right away and top off with the Parmigiano Reggiano.

* If you don’t find Tagliatelle, you can use Papardelle, Linguine, or even Spaghetti.

** Whatever fresh mushroom you are able to find of course Porcini or Portobello is best but use what is fresh and available.