Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Healthy Spring Pasta

There are going to have to be some changes around here. For the last 5 years, I have been eating the way Rob likes to eat and it is slowly killing me. I love red meat, I just don't think my body was designed to eat it 5 days a week. And vegetables can be the feature of a meal on a regular basis, you know. Cream and butter do NOT necessarily make everything better.

Rant over, but I am serious. I need to eat healthier. I don't want to deprive Rob of the richness that he so craves, but I will turn into a bowlful of jelly if I don't do something drastic.
He requested creamy pasta sauce, lots of it. I felt an artery wobble shut at the thought. But I braved ahead....

Does it look rich and decadent? Its still in the prototype stage, so the recipe isn't exact.

Asparagus, Brocoolini and Shitake Mushroom Bowtie Pasta with a Meyer Lemon Cream Sauce

1/2lb asparagus
1lb brocollini
A generous handful of baby shitake mushrooms
3 cups fat free, unsweetened soy milk (Non GMO please)
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
2 meyer lemons, juice and zest
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 lb uncooked bowtie pasta
salt to taste

Gently steam the veggies and mushrooms until just done and toss with Meyer Lemon juice and salt. Cook pasta to desired doneness
Heat the soy milk gently with a sliced clove of garlic, 2 bay leaves and the meyer lemon zest. Steep for ten minutes. Strain. Bring the soy milk back up to heat and thicken with cornstarch, season with salt. Pour over steamed vegetables and toss with pasta. Serve.
Serve 3-4

So am I nuts? Apparently not. This was a really good, light feeling meal and Rob liked the sauce too.

4 comments:

kickpleat said...

i've made "cream" sauces with cornstarch and skim milk and they've always turned out lovely. i think i'll have to try your soy version and the asparagus looks go great!

Dawna said...

Spring weather always makes me want to start eating more healthy meals! Your pasta looks very tasty - I'm on a serious pasta kick these days.

Erika W. said...

Yum, that looks fabulous!

I hear you completely on listening to the SO...and it's hard to kick a bad habit, and even harder to get them to go along with it. Someday I'll find the perfect balance of healthy and not-as-healthy. Until then though, I'll be anxious to see what you come up with. :-)

Stephanie said...

It isn't right yet? It looks plenty right to me! Yums!