Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts

Whole Wheat Pasta with Arugula and Swiss Chard


You may have gathered by now that I love pasta - and probably eat way too much of it.  That's why I like to bulk it up with healthier ingredients (as I've mentioned before).  This pasta dish includes swiss chard, which is full of vitamins and other health benefits, plus, it loses its bitter flavor when cooked.  This pasta also includes my favorite ingredients such as fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic.

What you will need:

8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon, juice of
3 cups baby arugula
2 cups swiss chard
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to the directions and drain.  In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat.  Add garlic and capers.  Stir frequently for 1 minute.  Add swiss chard, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Combine mixture with pasta and add arugula.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to combine.  Garnish with parmesan cheese and pepper, if desired.
arugula garlic lemon
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Creamy Avocado Pasta with Zucchini

Well, between an increasingly busy schedule, a lost camera cord that is keeping me from uploading any decent pictures, and a lack of motivation ...I've let over two months go by without writing in the blog.  Woops.   It doesn't help that every time I come back to it I decide I hate the font and layout.  I should probably learn more about blogger...

Anyway, despite the lack of posts, I've still been doing a decent job cooking new, healthy recipes.  I'll share an easy one with you that I made last night.  I'm trying to do a week of healthy/vegan dinners (might have to make a few vegetarian towards the end because I'd rather not go shopping).

I love this recipe because it has all my favorite ingredients - garlic, lemon, avocado... plus it's very easy to whip up.



What you will need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 cloves garlic
1 ripe avocado
salt, to taste
6 ounces pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 cup sliced/peeled zucchini

Cook spaghetti according to package.  While it is cooking, blend olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor.  Add avocado and salt and blend again until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can whisk it together by hand.

Drain and rinse spaghetti, but reserve a small amount of water to put zucchini into.  I'm not sure how long zucchini really takes to cook, but I put it in the pot I had the spaghetti in for a few minutes, until it was tender.

Combine sauce, pasta, and zucchini.  You're welcome to omit the noodles and just use zucchini, or vice versa.  The sauce is really the best part here.

>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<

All in all, May has been a very good month.  I am working on another project with my old company which will have me traveling all over the United States! I also got to see a bunch of friends and family at a Cinco De Mayo party I had (I'd post the recipe for the tres leches cake but I don't think it belongs on a health food blog).  Plus my first nephew is due any day now.  I'm sure you will be seeing pictures of him soon enough - I won't wait another two months to post!

cinco de mayo fun, excitement over a new dress, and as usual - a sleepy dog
avocado garlic lemon
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Lighter Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream

The title of today's post sure doesn't sound like something healthy - but I decided that today could be about making something healthyer (and yes, I know that's not how you spell healthier).

Browsing through Hungry Girl's website, you can find many tips on how to lighten up desserts.  I decided to try the trick of using non fat greek yogurt in a cake mix in place of the oil and eggs.   I had been craving the lemon-blueberry combo for a while and decided to put the cake mix that was in my cupboard to good use.  This recipe makes 12 servings and is 10 points per piece of frosted cake.



What you will need:

1 moist-style Lemon Cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Lemon Supreme)
1 cup non fat greek yogurt (I used Chobani, but another brand is fine)
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine cake mix and 1 cup non fat greek yogurt in a large bowl.  Then, add 1 cup water.  Mix all ingredients together until smooth.

Put mix into a greased pan - I used two 9 inch round pans.  This mixture is almost brownie like in consistency, but don't worry, it will bake like a cake.  I was pretty skeptical as I scooped it into the pans.

At this point I remembered I wanted to add blueberries, so I took some out of the freezer and quickly rinsed them in a strainer.  Then, I just placed them throughout the batter that was already in the pans and then smoothed the batter over them with a spoon.

Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  For me, this was sooner than the bake time listed on the box when using oil and eggs - so just be sure you keep and eye on it/check it after about 15 minutes.

Now - on to the frosting (which is REALLY good, by the way).  I followed the recipe from The eMeals Blog but halved it - which was still enough to cover the cake.

What you will need:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon milk
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, beat butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and milk with a mixer until creamy.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread over top and sides of cooled cake.

The verdict?  The cake was SO moist and the frosting was really refreshing.  I don't think I'd ever make a cake using oil and eggs again.  Not only is this version less fattening, but it tastes so much better!  No one will know it's from a mix.  I would make it again, but only if I was expecting company.  This time around we had to ration it - one piece a day for my husband and me.
blueberry buttercream cake
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Kale Salad with Avocado and Lemon

Have you been looking for a way to add more nutrients into your diet, but find yourself unwilling to buy that big bag of dark green kale from the grocery store?  This is a very quick and easy way to disguise the bitterness of kale but still get the benefits from eating it, including high amounts of fiber, iron, vitamins K, A, and C, calcium, and antioxidants.  Plus you get the added health benefits of avocado (heart healthy, helps lower cholesterol, shown to reduce the appearance of certain types of cancer) and fresh lemon juice (aids digestion, lowers blood pressure).



ALL you need is:

2 large handfuls of kale, rinsed and de-stemmed (enough kale to fill a medium/large salad bowl)
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 lemon, juice of

After you have rinsed the kale, remove the leaves from the ribs and put leaves into your salad bowl, discarding ribs (stems).  I used a bag of pre shredded kale from Trader Joe's, but if you are using whole leaves, make sure you tear them into bite sized pieces.

Add avocado and lemon juice to bowl and mix ingredients with hands, much like you are kneading dough.  This allows every bite of kale to be covered in the avocado and lemon, unlike many salads where you only get the dressing in certain bites.  The avocado does a great job balancing out the bitterness of the kale.  Enjoy!
avocado kale lemon
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