On the Menu: Low Carb Pasta and Baked Zucchini Fries

Posted on by stilllearning2b

I made a mistake last week.  We are in the midst of testing season at school which means the daily schedule is put in blender and spit back out.  As a result, I ended up with 3 days last week with no lunch period, meaning I had to attempt to eat (two hours past my normal lunch time) while speed-teaching 22 minute classes.  The mistake?  I packed a high-fiber, voluminous lunch with lots of beans, greens, and cauliflower that my body didn’t like ingesting rapidly and my palate did not enjoy cold.

I’m learning.  We have another round of testing this week and I am packing a lower-fiber spread that will be fine if I do not have access to the microwave.  My stomach is breathing a sigh of relief.

Black Bean Pasta With Raw Marinara

As a gluten-free gal, I had pretty much given up on ever being able to eat pasta again that wasn’t loaded with simple carbs and entirely devoid of protein.  Then I found this hiding on the bottom shelf in a local health food store.  I brought it home, a bit dubious that the texture and flavor would be as good as the nutritional profile (17 g carbs and 20 g protein!!!).  I mixed up a quick pesto sauce in my food processor, cooked the pasta, and tossed it together.  It. Was. Amazing.  It felt right in the mouth, tasted great, and filled me up like only protein can.

A few days later, I went back to the store to buy more of the mung bean fettuccine and to pick up the black bean spaghetti.  The shelves were empty:(  Panicked (I NEEDED this stuff now), I visited my Amazon site. Placed an order.  Several days later, I received an email that they were sold out.  Not one to give up easily, I found another site that carries the pastas.  I received my first order of the black bean spaghetti last week and I am excited to try it in this week’s recipe.

I needed a sauce that would be good cold and I wanted something different than the pesto I used earlier.  I decided to try the marinara recipe from here, but I added onion, garlic, and mushrooms.  What?  I said I had to be able to eat quickly; I never said anything about my breath having to smell nice:)  I topped the spaghetti with a vegan “cheese” made of walnuts and nutritional yeast for a little extra yum and a little extra protein.

Pasta.  $6  Tomatoes.  $3  The look of utter horror on my students’ faces when they see me eating black pasta with red sauce.  Priceless.

Baked Zucchini Fries

This is another recipe from Lean, Luscious, and Meatless, my favorite book from childhood that has disappeared from print.

4 zucchini, end cut off and sliced longwise into 1/8″ slices

dip these into a mixture of flax seed (the cookbook uses wheatgerm, but that whole gluten thing gets in the way), garlic powder, paprika, and oregano

Arrange cut side up on a cookie sheet and bake at 450° for 15 minutes.  Extra yummy served with tomato sauce.

 

A bonus of this week’s meal?  It’s quick to prepare, leaving me with plenty of time to read Fifty Shades of Grey, a reading assignment from a coworker.

I’ll top this off with some strawberries and a protein shake that can be quickly downed discretely.  Here’s to a happier tummy and the last week of testing!

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On the Menu: Big Salad, Big Sun, and Chuck Palahniuk

Posted on by stilllearning2b

It’s spring break!  No Tupperware for me today!  My initial (active) plans for today were scuttled by the protestations of my tummy, so I gave in to a day of reading and sunning on the deck.

Lunch today was a BIG salad. First, I prepped by baking some tofu.  I made this batch spicy, adding lots of crushed red pepper along with Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute and some smoked paprika.  I love to bake it until it is soft on the inside and firm on the exterior.

Asparagus was on sale at Kroger, so of course I stocked up.  These were not the usual slender tender stalks of spring, these were large and succulent.  These big boys hold up well to grilling, so that’s just what I did with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Then, it was time to put it all together.  I started with a base of mixed spring greens and added cucumbers, red onion, red pepper, baby bella mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, asparagus, pumpkin seeds, and tofu for mine (the boyfriend prefers chicken).  This was all topped with my boyfriend’s favorite dressing: garlic, pomegranate seeds, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper all mixed in the blender.  We both love these big and satisfying salads.

I decided to search for new books by some of my favorite authors.  You can tell by my find (Damned, October 2011), that I don’t do this very often:)  Chuck and I are having a glorious day in the sun along with the dog.  The cat, as you can see, prefers the shade.

 

The Recipe That Acquainted Me With My Kitchen

Posted on by stilllearning2b

No hyperbole – this is the single most awesome dish on the planet.  It is easy and made with easy to find ingredients.  It is flexible; use what you have or  what is on sale and make it as spicy or as mild as you wish.  It is gluten free, for those with sensitive tummies like  me.  It is healthy, packed with veggies and beans.  It is vegetarian, yet appeals to meat-eaters.  Oh, and did I mention, it is delicious!

Mexican Lasagna (adapted from The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen – my absolute hands-down favorite cookbook)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1-2 bell peppers (any color), chopped

1 large zucchini,cut into half-moons

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

4 cloves galric, chopped

3 cans of beans,  any mix of pinto, kidney, and black, drained and rinsed

2 cups chunky salsa, mild or medium

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

8 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese (I usually use reduced fat sharp cheddar and a Mexican blend)

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, cut into chunks

1/4 cup skim milk

1-3 tbsp Tabasco chipotle sauce

Optional toppings: sliced scallions, diced tomatoes, crushed tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.  In a very large skillet, heat the oil.  Cook the onion and jalapeno until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the bell pepper and the zucchini and cook another 5 minutes.  Add the beans, salsa, cumin, chili powder, and lime juice.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Assemble in the 13 x 9 pan: 4 tortillas, 1/2 the bean mixture, 1/2 the cheese mixture, repeat.

Cover with oiled foil and bake for 30 minutes.

While baking, cook the cream cheese, milk, and Tabasco in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Top the baked lasagna with the cream cheese mixture.  Enjoy:)

 

 

Wellness Newsletter 1-30

Posted on by stilllearning2b