Credit: Alison Miksch
|
Jonell's Kitchen PASTA: Fast, Faster, Fastest!
Delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare in a rush, pasta is ideal for the way we eat and live today. Cooking pasta is not much more difficult than boiling water. And you can prep other ingredients as the pasta cooks. So how fast is fast? Dried pasta like spaghetti and macaroni take about 8 minutes, while thicker sizes and shapes may take slightly longer. After 7 minutes, remove a piece and taste test. It should be tender but still chewy. If it isn't ready, cook 1 to 2 minutes more and test again. Only have a couple of minutes? That's all it takes to cook fresh pasta. And for more pasta power, both types—dried and fresh—are available as organic and specialty versions with added vegetables, like spinach and carrot, and with seasonings like herbs, black pepper and lemon
5 weekday meals ready in minutes
MONDAY
polenta and summer vegetables
TUESDAY
spicy lamb burgers
WEDNESDAY
grilled marinated chicken cutlets with veggies
THURSDAY
shrimp fettuccine alfredo
FRIDAY
pan-seared tuna with cilantro cream
shrimp fettuccine alfredo (Thursday's)
Makes 4 servings.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
9 ounces uncooked fresh fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
¼ cup no-fat chicken broth or white wine
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¾ pound peeled, deveined shrimp
10-ounce package light alfredo sauce (we used Buitoni)
Optional garnish: chopped flat-leaf parsley
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook about 3 minutes. Add broth or wine, pepper and shrimp. Cook and stir until shrimp are pink and opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in alfredo sauce until blended. Add pasta; stir gently to mix and coat. Transfer to large shallow bowl, platter or plates. Sprinkle with fresh herb.
Per serving: 398 calories, 12 grams fat, 209 milligrams cholesterol, 676 milligrams sodium, 43 grams carbohydrate, 24 grams protein.
Healthy Food Fast Shopping List
Use this shopping list to get everything you need for the five meals of the week:
PRODUCE, FRESH HERBS
o bag baby spinach
o 3 tomatoes
o 3 bell peppers; green, red, orange
o 1 pound asparagus
o 1 pound baby potatoes
o button mushrooms
o zucchini
o summer squash
o 1 lime
o basil
o cilantro
o thyme or marjoram
MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, DAIRY
o ¾ pound ground lamb
o ¾ pound peeled, deveined shrimp
o 4 tuna steaks (5 ounces each)
o ¾ pound chicken cutlets
o small low-fat plain yogurt
o small reduced-fat sour cream
PREPARED, PACKAGED AND CANNED GOODS
o fresh or dried fettuccine or other pasta
o 4 slices of pita bread
o bottled low-fat cucumber dressing
o bottled light red wine vinaigrette
o no-fat chicken broth
o 10-ounce package light Alfredo sauce (Buitoni)
o small jar chopped pickled jalapeño peppers
o 1-pound tube package polenta
SPICES, SEASONINGS
o oregano
o white pepper
o cumin
o chili powder
STAPLES
Make sure you’ve got plenty of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, hot pepper sauce, vinegar, eggs, low-fat bottled salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, flour, sugar, cooking oils, butter, rice, pasta, onions, minced garlic, lemons and lemon juice.
For other recipes pick up the June 2008 issue of ESSENCE. |
