Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Penne with Seafood in Garlic Tomato Sauce



2 oz Fiber Gourmet penne
1 cup frozen seafood medley (paella mix or shrimp, mussels, calamari and imitation crab)
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup passata di pomodorri (or stewed and strained tomatoes)
1/4 cup Lucini Tomato Sauce (or any tomato sauce of your choice)
1 TB Trader Joe's red pepper spread
1/4 cup nf, low-sodium chicken stock (college inn)
1/2 cup frozen or fresh wild mushroom
Garlic and Basil Mr Dash
salt, pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, microplaned

Cook pasta according to instructions (12 mins). In a saute pot, add frozen seafood and water, and heat so that the seafood thaws and heats up. Once thawed, discard the cooking liquid. Place saute pot back on stove, and add the remaining ingredients, and simmer on medium heat until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta, and add to the pot. Mix well and serve!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Home-made Greek Yogurt



This is an inexpensive way to make Greek yogurt (similar to the taste of Fage) at home. Fage yogurt is made using the active yogurt cultures L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus. It gives the Greek yogurt its distinctive tangy taste, and on the positive side, a low milk sugar and high protein content. The Yogourmet product contains those cultures freeze-dried, and so it is the perfect basis to make Greek yogurt at home, and less expensive at that (6 packages for 1 quart of yogurt each is about $5). I use a Salton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker (about $21 on Amazon.com). Now, let's make 0% fat Greek yogurt.

1 quart skim milk (fat-free)
1 package yogourmet freeze-dried L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus active yogurt cultures
1 thermometer
1 yogurt maker

Heat the skim milk to 180F on the stove, then it fill into the yogurt container inset, and let cool down to 108-112F. Turn on the yogurt maker, and let warm up. In a small container, stir the yogurt cultures into a bit of lukewarm milk and let rest until the milk cools down. Once the milk reaches the desired temperature, add the cultures to the milk, and stir gently and well until it is all mixed. Put lid on yogurt container, and pace into yogurt maker. It takes 4-5 hour to make firm yogurt. Remove from yogurt maker, and place in fridge to stop the process.

After chilling the Greek yogurt over night, it can be served. An alternative is to strain the yogurt first using cheese cloth and a sieve to remove some of the liquid, or use a straining device. This makes the yogurt texture more creamy and similar to store-bought fage. It will reduce by half.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Four Cheese Pasta



Four Cheese Pasta
2 oz FG penne

Sauce:
2 TB ff cottage cheese
1 TB part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 TB shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cp low-sodium crushed tomatoes
1/4 cp low-sodium tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
salt, pepper
1 TB grated Parmesan

Preheat toaster oven to 400 degrees F. Cook the pasta according to instructions, but slightly undercook (ca. 10min). Drain. Combine the cottage cheese, ricotta, and mozzarella in a bowl and stir with a fork and set aside.

Heat the oil in a larger saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, rosemary, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Return cheese mix and pasta to saute pan, and mix gently. Spray a small baking dish, and transfer pasta mixture to baking dish. Top with the parmesan, and bake until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 minutes.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Pasta with Saffron Lemon Lobster



Pasta with Saffron Lemon Lobster

2 oz Fiber Gourmet pasta

4oz cooked lobster meat
1/8 cup chicken stock
few strands of saffron
1 ts cognac
1/2 TB creme fraiche
salt, pepper
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 ts sugar or fiberfit (liquid artificial sweetener)

Prepare pasta according to instructions. In a skillet, heat the lobster meat in some water. Once heated, discard the water, and add the chicken stock, saffron, cognac and stir in the creme fraiche. Heat for 1-2 min, and reduce slightly. Add the lemon zest and the sugar as well as salt and pepper to taste. Add drained pasta to the skillet, mix and serve!

1 dinner entree



Also great with a seafood mix!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Past' e Broccoletti (Pasta with Broccoli Rabe)



A wonderful, flavorful, yet simple dish: pasta with broccoli rabe. Broccoli rabe looks like a bouquet of flowers, and the flowers look like broccoli flowers. Unlike broccoli, however, it has a pungent and slightly bitter taste, but it looses the bitterness during the cooking process. The pasta and broccoli rabe are simmered in the same pot, and served with a spicy garlic sauce and parmesan slices.

1/2 bunch of broccoli rabe (washed and sliced)
2 oz Fiber Gourmet rotini
1 garlic clove, grated
1 ts olive oil
1/2 ts red pepper flakes
1/4 cup low-sodium, ff chicken stock
parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring sufficient water to a boil. Salt the water, and add the pasta and broccoli rabe. Saute until the pasta is al dente (ca. 12 min).

In a separate saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic until fragrant (1-2 min), and add the red pepper flakes. Add the chicken stock, and stir. Reduce for 2-3 mins, and take off the stove. Once the pasta is ready, drain the pasta and broccoli rabe, plate, and spoon sauce over the pasta. With a vegetable peeler, peel thin slices of a piece of parmesan or pecorino cheese. Serve!