Pasta Carbonara with Spinach and Peas

After spending a few days in Austin last fall, Lisa and I discovered a ridiculous and hilarious way to pass the time before catching our flights back to Seattle (for Lisa) and Los Angeles (for me). It was the combination of being delirious, hungry, tired, and really excited about discovering kombucha in the airport that led us to a game of personifying ourselves as foods. To be honest, I can’t even remember what foods we decided suited us best, but it did involve a pretty hysterical process of elimination.

I do know, though, that whenever I eat pasta, I think of Lisa; it’s one of her favorite foods. It was her birthday last Saturday and although I wasn’t with her to celebrate, she’s was in my thoughts all day.

I thought of this meal since we made it together during her first visit to my Californian home. 

I was never really a pasta person until I started adding different veggies to the mix. This pasta carbonara is comforting, but also incorporate the brightness of some of my favorite springtime veggies. Since today is the first day of spring, this recipe is a nice one to transition into the new season. 

To keep the birthday celebration going and to celebrate the welcome of spring, you can whip up this recipe in no more than thirty minutes.

We hope you enjoy it, preferably in the company of someone who makes you laugh!

Pasta Carbonara with Spinach and Peas

This pasta dish can be made in an easy 30 minutes (or less) for a simple, yet elegant dinner at home. You can toss in extra veggies if you like and even add some grilled chicken or shrimp.

Ingredients:

½ pound whole wheat pasta noodles, such as spaghetti

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup frozen peas

3 heaping cups fresh spinach

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1.     Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package.

2.     Beat the egg yolks and add 1/2 cup of the starchy water you’re using to cook the pasta. 

3.     Meanwhile, in a large skillet or pot, sauté the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and peas over medium heat for about 2 minutes.

4.     When the pasta is finished cooking, add the pasta to the skillet or pot. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss quickly to coat the pasta (without cooking the eggs!)

5.     Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and fresh spinach until the spinach wilts. 

6.   Portion out into individual bowls and season with black pepper and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cheesy Crustless Mini Quiches

I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes. I was not additionally compensated for my time.

I take my Academy Award watching very seriously.

And being such a devote viewer usually involves a little bit of homework. I watch the nominated movies ahead of time, my friends and I cast our votes among one another (it's a pretty fierce competition),  and then I plop myself firmly on the sofa so I can watch from the beginning of the red carpet until the closing credits.

The Academy Awards are my SuperBowl. The dresses, the speeches, the shameless jokes – I love it all.

It’s funny to think that growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, something as Hollywood as the Oscars seemed to be from an entirely different world. Now, I live 30 minutes away from the infamous Kodak Theatre; ten years later, that thought still is somewhat surreal.

But, even though my location is a variable (Edmonton vs. Los Angeles), the process of how I watch the Oscars hasn’t changed one bit (sofa + sweatpants + good food). It’s so comforting to know that no matter how much life may change, some things remain constant.

Wherever you are on the night of the Academy Awards, I hope you enjoy a bite of an extra cheesy crustless quiche. I’ll be eating them, too. 

These quiches can make any occasion feel special. I chalk it up to the Cabot Cheese; I used Cabot Alpine Cheddar Cheese for this recipe, which has a nutty, smooth, melt-in-your mouth taste. I love Cabot not only because their products taste truly amazing, but also because 100 % of their profits go directly to the 1200 family-owned farms that work together in the Cabot Creamy Cooperative to make such irresistible cheese. That warms my heart; just like the Academy Awards "Best Actor" and "Best Actress" speeches.

Cheesy Crustless Mini Quiches

Makes 10-12 crustless quiches

Simple to make, these healthy, mini quiches are fun to serve (and eat!) at your Game Day celebration, movie night, or Oscar party. 

Ingredients:

5 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup reduced-fat milk 

6 ounces Cabot Alpine Cheddar Cheese, grated 

2 cups spinach, chopped

6 basil leaves, chopped

pinch of salt & black pepper

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or grease your muffin tin; set aside.

2.     In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together.

3.     Add in chopped spinach, basil leaves, cheese, salt and pepper; fold in ingredients to combine.

4.     Distribute mixture evenly among muffin cups (~1/2 cup portion each).

5.     Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

6.     Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes on a rack.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

An InLinkz Link-up

Homemade Ricotta

A few months ago, we had friends staying with us for the weekend.  In the afternoon, as we were all sitting around the kitchen talking, I pulled out a pot to start making a before-dinner snack.

“What are you making?”

“Ricotta cheese.”

“What?! You’re making ricotta?”

“It’s ridiculously easy. Watch.”

I pulled out a pot and poured in whole milk from a local dairy and cultured buttermilk.  I turned the burner to medium and waited until the mixture started to just simmer and you could see the curds developing.  I took a sieve and scooped out the curds.  There you have it—ricotta!

Have you made homemade ricotta yet?  It will change the way you think about the boring and rather bland store bought stuff.  Run to the grocery and buy one gallon of fresh local whole milk and one quart of cultured buttermilk.  In less than 20 minutes, you’ll have creamy, delicious ricotta cheese to use for lasagna, blintzes, crostini or eating with a spoon while standing at the refrigerator door.

Some recipes for homemade ricotta call for a mixture of whole milk and heavy whipping cream, but I find that making it with just the whole milk still produces a rich and delicious ricotta that is a little better for our overall health.  As you know from reading our blog, we’re not advocates for ‘light’ or ‘reduced calorie’ foods, but we are advocates for making something delicious from real, whole ingredients that you can feel good about eating.   

My favorite way to eat fresh ricotta is to sprinkle it with a good sea salt, like Murray River salt, drizzle it with a good extra virgin olive oil, and top with dried Aleppo pepper if you can find it and red pepper flakes if you can’t.  Serve with crostini or crackers.   

I hope you enjoy, preferably surrounded by the people you love!

Homemade Ricotta

8 cups whole local milk

2 cups cultured buttermilk

Sea salt

Add the milk and buttermilk to a large, heavy large pot.  Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, until bubbles are just starting to form and you can see the curds separating.  Turn off the burner and let it sit for a few minutes.     

Using a mesh skimmer, lift the curds out of the pot and place them in a colander lined with cheesecloth.  Let the curds drain for about 5 minutes for a soft ricotta or up to 20 minutes for a firm ricotta.  Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, add a pinch of sea salt and stir.  Cover the cheese and place in the refrigerator to chill.  The ricotta can be made one day ahead. 

Lastly, don’t throw away the whey (the leftover liquid).  I freeze it and then use it in soups or as a substitute for water in making bread or pizza dough.     

Celebrating Wonder Women Freedom with an End-of-Summer Whole Wheat Caprese Pasta Salad

Several months ago, I received an email from a woman named Sherri about a women’s group she was forming to support women in having a better relationship with food and our bodies.  We met for lunch, and I was immediately struck with her humility and grace and her earnest passion for helping women.

Sherri told me about her own struggle with food and body image, and how her relationships with other women had helped her heal.  She wanted to pay this forward by forming Wonder Women Freedom, a faith-based movement of women inspiring women to have a loving, mindful and peaceful relationship with food and our bodies.

I could relate to Sherri’s story, having wrestled since my early teens with my own obsession over food, weight and exercise.  During college, I existed on plain bagels, coffee with skim milk and artificial sweetener, ‘light’ yogurt and bananas, brown rice, and fat-free ice cream.  I exercised compulsively, hitting the gym both morning and night, often doing multiple step-aerobics or kickboxing classes back-to-back.  And I wondered why I never felt satisfied, why I still hated by body? Why my knuckles cracked and bled? 

It took years for me to develop a healthy relationship with food and my body, one that feels like a partnership.  It would take a long time to tell the whole story, but my healing began when I gave up ‘giving up.’  I stopped dieting, stopped avoiding certain categories of food (fat, carbohydrates, and so on) and instead embraced a real foods, moderate way of eating.  When I stopped obsessing, I finally felt at peace. 

I’m not perfect.  I still find those critical thoughts tapping me on the shoulder.  But, I know how to deal with them—a walk, yoga, talking with a friend, a supportive husband.

I immediately offered to help Sherri, wanting to join with her in helping other women find that same peace.  About a dozen women started meeting at my home once a month, first a cooking class and then a wonderful potluck where we practiced mindful eating.  (One of the women described the mindful eating experience as “like I just had a scalp massage!”)  Last week, we gathered for another potluck and to talk about debunking food myths.  We listed questions on the blackboard and then spent the next two hours talking.

I’m so honored to be supporting Sherri in her journey to help other women.  It’s why McKenzie and I started Nourish in the first place—to spread this message of eating real foods with the people you love.  And most of all, to be nice to yourself.

In the spirit of debunking food myths, I made this End-of-Summer Caprese Pasta Salad for our potluck.  Yes, you can eat pasta and cheese!  And do so with abundant thankfulness.

Whole Wheat Caprese Pasta Salad

This is a super-easy pasta salad that makes good use of the last of the summer produce.  It can be served cold or at room temperature.  It will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 – 5 days, so it’s a great make-ahead meal.  

Serves 8

1 pound whole wheat pasta (like fusilli or penne)

Zest and juice of two lemons (about ¼ cup)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 pints cherry tomatoes, tomatoes halved

1 red bell pepper, sliced or diced

8 ounce container fresh mozzarella (small mozzarella balls*)

5 ounces of spinach or arugula

¼ cup fresh basil, sliced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a good amount of sea salt or kosher salt.  Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, until just done. 

While the pasta is cooking, add the lemon zest, juice, olive oil, sea salt and red pepper flakes to a large bowl and whisk together.  To the lemon dressing, add the halved cherry tomatoes. (Cutting the tomatoes in half allows them to release some of their juice, which adds to the sauce of the pasta salad).  Add the sliced red bell pepper.

When the pasta is done, add the hot pasta to the lemon dressing, tomatoes and red bell pepper with about ¼ cup of the hot pasta water.  The hot pasta water will slightly soften the tomatoes and red peppers, and will release their flavors in the pasta.  Stir together and then let cool to room temperature.

Once the pasta has cooled, add the fresh mozzarella, spinach or arugula, and fresh basil and stir together until well-combined.  Taste and adjust any seasonings, if necessary. 

Enjoy, preferably with someone you love!

*If you can’t find small mozzarella balls, just buy large balls and cut them into cubes.