Skinny Chocolate Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

April 30, 2012

Do you have a food you’ve loved since preschool?

That you’ve never grown tired of and think you never possibly could get tired of?

I absolutely do.

That food for me is peanut butter.

I loved it when I was three, and I love it still.

I’m incredibly loyal to peanut butter. Looking back on my life, I can’t think of a home pantry, apartment cabinet, or college dorm shelf that wasn’t faithfully stocked with it.

Me and peanut butter are best friends forever.  And we go way back. When I was really little, I had a very particular method for eating my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches:

Begin by eating all the crusts.

Next, pull the sandwich apart and eat the jelly side.

And last: enjoy the peanut butter side. Because it was very important to save the very best, most peanut buttery, bites for last.

When I want a special treat, most likely it will involve peanut butter.

And what pairs better with peanut butter than chocolate?

So my latest concoction honors this unbelievably heavenly pairing: chocolate oatmeal cookies stuffed with a peanut butter frozen yogurt filling.

These cookie sandwiches are delicious, creamy, sweet, and decadent.

And best of all – they’re a smarter, healthier dessert as well!

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to begin.

A few of these ingredients are the keys to making this a healthier recipe.  These include:

Heart-healthy canola oil. I cut out about three-quarters of the butter (full of saturated fat) used in a traditional cookie by substituting canola oil.

Whole wheat flour – this adds so much healthy (and filling!) fiber to your cookies and replaces most of the processed all-purpose flour.

Ground flaxseed – this is really something worth adding to baked treats.  Ground flaxseed has high levels of lignans (strong antioxidants that can help prevent cancer) and omega-3 fatty acids (prevents inflammation that can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer).

Bonus: you won’t actually taste the flaxseed, but it also has a lot of protein and fiber to make your cookies really filling and satisfying (unlike most processed peanut butter and chocolate candies, this offers instant portion control!)

Start by placing some butter (at room temperature), some granulated sugar, and some brown sugar in a food processor or electric mixer.

Pulse until the butter and sugar are combined.

Next add some canola oil, a couple of eggs, some low-fat milk, and some vanilla extract.

Pulse until the ingredients are combined.

Add some all-purpose flour, some whole wheat flour, some flaxseed, some unsweetened cocoa powder, a bit of cinnamon, and a bit of salt.

Pulse again to combine.

Lastly, add some rolled oats and pulse quickly one last time, just until the oats are mixed in.

Use a tablespoon to measure out exact tablespoons of dough.

Using a tablespoon really helps keep your cookies 1) evenly sized for perfectly baked cookies and 2) portion-controlled as well!

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press the dough down into flat, cookie-shaped rounds.

This dough has very little butter, so it doesn’t flatten out much while baking.

You just have to help it along a little.

Bake the cookies and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, place some vanilla nonfat Greek frozen yogurt on the counter for a few minutes to allow it to begin to thaw and soften.

As much as I love it, peanut butter is very high in calories and fat.  So I keep the peanut butter filling ‘skinny’ by adding an equal amount of nonfat frozen yogurt.

Have you noticed the new Greek frozen yogurt in stores lately?

With only  100 calories in a half-cup serving, Greek frozen yogurt really lightens up the filling. And it’s so healthy: a serving provides 15 percent of your daily value of calcium, no saturated fat, 6 grams of protein (to keep you feeling full and satisfied), and probiotics (to keep your digestive system healthy).

If you’re having trouble finding Greek frozen yogurt, regular vanilla frozen yogurt works just as well.

Combine both the peanut butter and frozen yogurt in a food processor or blender until they’re well combined.

Spoon tablespoons of the peanut butter filling on half of the cookies.

Then place a second cookie on top, creating sandwiches.

These cookie sandwiches are so unbelievably delicious.

The creamy peanut butter filling is complimented perfectly by the rich chocolate and the soft, chewy oatmeal cookies.

And so full of healthy fiber and protein, they’re a dessert that’s actually filling, satisfying, and healthy too!

Oh, peanut butter.

Our love continues on.

 

Here is the complete recipe:

Skinny Chocolate Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Total Time: 45 minutes
Prep:  20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 18 cookie sandwiches 

Ingredients

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup 1 percent milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats

 

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup vanilla nonfat Greek frozen yogurt (or any vanilla frozen yogurt)

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor or electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.  Add the canola oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla and pulse until combined.  Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon and pulse until combined. Add the oats and pulse quickly, just until oats are fully mixed in.
Measure exact tablespoons of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Press dough flat, into cookie-shaped rounds (cookies will not flatten on their own in the oven).  Bake for 7-9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, set frozen yogurt on counter and allow it to begin to thaw and soften, about 15 minutes.  Place softened frozen yogurt and peanut butter in a food processor or blender and pulse until just combined.
Spoon heaping teaspoons of the peanut butter filling on half of the chocolate oatmeal cookies.  Top each with a second cookie, forming sandwiches.  Serve immediately.

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Chicken Tortilla Casserole

April 24, 2012

I don’t really do well on beach vacations.

For a lot of small (and pretty vain, now I think about it) reasons.

I have naturally curly hair that tends to puff up like a cotton ball in high humidity, driving me nuts.

And I have kind of a love-hate thing with the midday sun.  I love sunny weather, like anyone. But I have fair skin that burns before it tans, and I become more and more fearful of wrinkles (and therefore, the sun) as I watch every birthday come … and go.

The bigger reason: I like to keep busy even when I’m on vacation –  touring cities, seeing sites – I want to know what the culture (and most definitely, the food!) are all about in any new place.

But I did make it to Mexico once several years ago for a relaxing beach vacation.

And I was able to appreciate that the beaches were incredibly beautiful.

Also, the food was amazing.

I had the best tortilla soup, memorable in all its contrasting flavors: savory (from the chicken broth) yet sweet (from the corn), and light (from the crisp veggies) yet rich (from the melted cheese), and creamy (from the avocado) yet crunchy (from the tortilla strips). Pretty much perfection.

And I could eat soup any day of the week.

I do eat soup almost every day for lunch.

But my meat-and-potatoes-guy thinks of soup more as a precursor to the main event.  He has trouble with the idea of a soup really being a meal in itself.

That’s the big selling point with this casserole.

It’s all the best of a chicken tortilla soup – tons of flavorful healthy veggies and all the same delicious flavors.

But it’s a really hearty casserole guaranteed to fill every meat-and-potato-loving member of the family.

Here are all the key players for this dish.

Begin by microwaving some parboiled brown rice according to the instructions on the package – this will be added to the casserole later on.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut some skinless, boneless chicken breasts into cubes.

Heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken and season well with salt and pepper.

Cook until the outsides are nice and golden, and then scoop the chicken into a bowl.

Cover it and set it aside.

Turn the heat to medium.

Mince some garlic and dice a small onion.

Add to the pan and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

Next, dice a jalapeño pepper.

Jalapeños are pretty readily available in most grocery stores.

They taste like a slightly spicy bell pepper.

It’s best to remove the seeds (the spiciest part of the pepper) so you get some flavor from the pepper without much heat.

Begin by chopping off both ends.

Cut it in half, then into quarters, lengthwise.

Now you can easily use your knife to remove the ribs and seeds.

Once the seeds are removed, cut each quarter into thin strips and then dice it up.

Then again, if you love a lot of spice, you can always dice it up with the seeds!

Next prepare a zucchini.

Chop off the ends and then cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.

Set one half flat-side-down on the cutting board for stability.

Cut thin strips lengthwise.

Then dice up the zucchini.

Repeat the same steps for the summer squash.

Add the jalapeño, zucchini, and summer squash to the pan.

Season with salt and pepper and sauté.

Next, add some chopped tomatoes.

Add some cumin and coriander for tons of rich flavor.

Stir everything together.

Add some frozen sweet corn.

And also add the cooked brown rice and the cooked chicken you set aside earlier.

Stir and pour the mixture into a large casserole dish.

Grate some sharp cheddar cheese.

And arrange it all over the top.

The cheese is really optional in this dish.

It tastes great, of course (it’s melted cheese!)

But the avocado you’ll add later adds a lot of rich creaminess, so you can do without the cheese if you’re really watching fat and calories.

Bake the casserole for just a few minutes, until the cheese has melted nicely.

Meanwhile prepare the avocado.  Avocado is one of my all-time favorites.  The flavor is delicate, yet the consistency is so rich and creamy.

Avocados are incredibly healthy too.  They’re full of fiber (to keep you feeling full for a long time), Potassium, and Vitamin E.  Avocados also have tons of lutein, an antioxidant that keeps skin smooth and healthy. You may have heard they’re fairly high in fat. It’s true. But they’re made up of unsaturated fats, which are actually good for you and help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and raise ‘good’ levels.

They’re easy to prepare too.

Slice the avocado in half, lengthwise.

You’ll feel your knife hitting a large pit in the center – just continue to cut around it.

The safe and foolproof way to remove the pit: just scoop it out with a spoon.

Cut thin slices lengthwise, cutting down until you reach the skin.

Then cut across to create a small grid pattern.

Use the spoon to scoop out the flesh.  Diced avocado!

Grab a lime and squeeze the juice all over the avocado.  Do this right away, and it will keep the avocado from turning brown.

Grab a bunch of cilantro and, cutting down toward the cutting board, chop the leaves off the stems.

Then chop up the cilantro.

Take the casserole out of the oven and serve it up on individual plates.

Top each plate with some avocado, cilantro, and a few tortilla strips.

This dish has all the best flavors of a tortilla soup.

Every bite has a ton of flavor from the fresh herbs and veggies, hearty rice and chicken, savory cheese, and sweet corn.

And the combo of creaminess from the avocado and crunch from the tortilla strips is so delicious.

Also, unlike a tortilla soup, no one will question whether this qualifies as a meal – it’s really satisfying. Enjoy!

Here is the complete recipe:

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Total Time:  45 minutes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings 

Ingredients

1 cup parboiled brown rice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 small summer squash, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
16 ounce container chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar (optional)
1 avocado
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
20 whole grain tortilla strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare the parboiled brown rice according to package instructions and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the cubed chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the outsides are golden.  Scoop the chicken into a bowl, cover, and set aside.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the jalapeño, summer squash, and zucchini.  Season with salt and pepper.   Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, cumin, and coriander, and stir to combine.  Add the corn, along with the cooked chicken and the cooked brown rice.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish.  Arrange the grated sharp cheddar over the top of the casserole.  Bake in the oven until the cheddar is nicely melted, about 7-9 minutes.  Remove from the oven and transfer to serving plates.  Top each plate with avocado, cilantro, and a few tortilla strips.  Serve.

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Sauteed Green Beans with Roasted Tomato Sauce

April 18, 2012

It’s really strange sometimes, what you remember.

Or at least, it’s strange what I remember.

Several years ago, my husband and I decided to spend a long weekend visiting Washington DC.

My husband picked a nice steakhouse for one dinner (I call him my ‘meat-and-potatoes-guy’ for a reason).

There was live entertainment – someone playing the piano – which I kind of loved because you rarely see that anywhere.

Tables were filled with older men with white hair, in suits – clearly politicking (this was DC).

And I had the most delicious green beans.

I don’t remember anything else about the food, just the green beans.

They were cooked in a richly flavored tomato-herb sauce and absolutely the best green beans ever.

I created my own version at home – oven-roasting the tomatoes with some herbs and garlic really makes all the difference in my sauce.

And I thought I should post the recipe now, since green beans are coming into season and it’s still cool enough to want to turn on the oven.

I don’t often think about foods I ate six years ago (I swear!), but those green beans with that rich tomato-herb sauce were amazing-tasting enough to be memorable.

Here are all the main players for today.  This recipe is quick and simple!

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mince a few cloves of garlic.

Next up: fresh oregano!

I used to think of oregano as useful only for adding delicious (nearly) calorie-free flavor to my dishes.

But I’ve learned it’s also full of antioxidants and vitamins. Fresh oregano is packed full of anti-aging vitamins (Vitamin K and Vitamin E), and studies have shown oregano to have 4 times more antioxidants than blueberries! Definitely a superfood to consider adding to any dish.

Grab a few sprigs of oregano and pull the leaves from the stems.

Pile up the oregano leaves and chop them up.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl and strain some chopped tomatoes.

Use a spoon to stir the tomatoes around and force all the liquid through the strainer and into the bowl.

When you’re left with just the chopped tomatoes, spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Set aside the bowl of tomato juices for later.

Arrange half of the minced garlic over the chopped tomatoes.

Then sprinkle on half the oregano.

Season well with salt and pepper.

And drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over everything.

Then place the tomatoes in the oven to roast.

Next, prepare the green beans.

Green beans are never at the top of the list of the most nutritious foods, but they actually have been shown to have strong anti-aging benefits.  Green beans are full of antioxidants that protect your eyesight and your heart and keep your skin and bones healthy.

Grab a small pile of fresh, rinsed green beans, line them up, and chop the ends off both ends of the green beans.

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.

Saute the rest of the garlic for a few minutes, until it’s softened.

Now it’s time to add some of the reserved tomato juices you set aside earlier.

Also add the green beans and the rest of the oregano.

Cover and let the beans simmer for a few minutes, until they’re tender but still a bit crisp.

Transfer the beans to a serving platter and top with the roasted tomatoes.

The fresh, crisp sautéed green beans taste so amazing with oven roasted tomato, garlic, and herb sauce.

Try this recipe when you’d like the side dish to be the star of the show – it may be the most memorable part of the meal!

Here is the complete recipe:

Sautéed Green Beans with Roasted Tomato Sauce

Total Time:  25 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

 

2 tablespoons olive oil
16-ounce container chopped tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oregano, chopped
1 pound fresh green beans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Strain the chopped tomatoes over a bowl and set juices aside.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread drained tomatoes over baking sheet.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the tomatoes.  Add half of the garlic and half the oregano and season well with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the rest of the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the green beans, the remaining oregano, and about 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato juices.  Season well with salt and pepper, and cover.  Allow the green beans to simmer for about 5 minutes, until they are tender but still crisp. Transfer beans to a serving plate. Top with the roasted tomatoes, and serve.

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Artichoke Dip Mac and Cheese

April 14, 2012

If you’re anything like me, come spring, you think a lot about cooking artichokes.

But you don’t seem to get around to actually doing it very often.

Because they’re kind of complicated.

They’re so much more work than, say, asparagus.

If you love artichokes but lack the ambition to cook with them, here’s a solution: baby artichokes!

Aside from being adorable (they’re mini!), they’re actually easy to work with.

I’m happy to cook with artichokes any time after discovering these babies (sorry. pun only sort of intended.)

I love artichoke dip, so I decided to try out a dish that combined artichoke dip flavors with macaroni and cheese.

This dish tastes a little like an artichoke dip.

And a little like macaroni and cheese.

But not a whole lot like either one. It’s its own unique dish.

It’s very hearty and delicious with all the cheesy macaroni.

But what really comes through in each bite is the smooth, sweet flavor of the artichokes.

If you love artichokes and want a simple recipe to cook with them, this one is for you!

Here is everything you’ll need to get started.

Begin by  boiling a large pot of water.

Salt the water and add some whole wheat macaroni.

Cook until it’s al dente, or just cooked through.

In the meantime, prepare the baby artichokes.

Fill a large bowl with a couple of cups of water and the juice from one lemon.

Next, chop off the stem of the artichokes.

Then pull off the outer leaves, layer by layer, until you arrive at the very pale green center.

You’ll see a bit more of the stem – chop that off as well.

This is your artichoke heart, ready to eat!

Immediately place it in the bowl of lemon water.

The artichoke heart will begin to turn brown immediately, so the quicker you get it into the acidic water, the greener it will remain!

Don’t they look delicious already?

Artichokes are extremely healthy, so they’re worth the few extra minutes of work!  Artichokes are very low in calories, yet they have a ton of fiber to keep you feeling full.  Surprisingly, they rank as one of the top sources of antioxidants among all fresh vegetables!

After you’ve finished with  the artichokes, roughly chop some garlic and a small onion.

No need to worry about perfectly mincing the garlic or dicing the onion – it will all be pureed later.

Grate some fresh Monterey Jack cheese and some fresh Parmesan and set aside for later.

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan.

Saute the garlic and onion until they’re soft.

Add the artichoke hearts and season well with salt and pepper.

When the artichokes are nicely softened, reduce the heat to low.

Use an immersion hand blender to purée all the veggies into a thick sauce. (Or transfer to a food processor to puree.)

If you feel like you can only eat a tiny portion of a  comfort food like mac and cheese, why not add some delicious veggies (like the onion and artichokes here) to the sauce?

With so few calories and so many nutrients, you can help yourself to a much larger portion!

Next add some low-fat milk, Neufchâtel low-fat cream cheese, and a bit of ground nutmeg.

Stir everything together and turn off the heat.

Add the grated Monterey Jack cheese and the Parmesan to the pot, and stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the cooked macaroni into the pot and stir everything up.

Pour the artichoke mac into a large casserole dish.

Grab a bowl and mix together some whole wheat Panko bread crumbs with a bit of Parmesan and a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Arrange the bread crumbs over the macaroni.

Bake in the oven until the crumbs turn crisp and golden.

This artichoke dip mac and cheese is very unique.

There’s lots of savory, rich melted cheese.

Along with the strong flavor of the velvety, sweet artichokes.

And a wonderful crunch from the parmesan-panko breadcrumbs to compliment the soft, creamy macaroni.

Aren’t baby artichokes wonderful?

Here is the complete recipe:

Artichoke Dip Mac and Cheese

Total Time:  50 minutes
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 lemon
9 baby artichokes
1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Neufchatel lowfat cream cheese
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 2/3 cups freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup  plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
 Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Fill a mixing bowl with water and the juice from one lemon. Cut the stem from an artichoke and pull off the green leaves.  Continue removing layers of leaves until you reach the layer that is very pale green in color.  Cut off any remaining stem.  Place the artichoke heart immediately into the lemon water to help prevent it from turning brown.
Boil a large pot of water.  Salt the water and add the macaroni.  Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Saute the garlic and onions until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the baby artichoke hearts and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes more, until artichokes are also softened.  Turn the heat to low. Puree the vegetables using an immersion hand blender (or pour into a food processor, puree, and then pour back into the saucepan).  Add the Neufchatel, milk, and nutmeg.  Stir to combine. Turn off the heat.  Add the Monterey Jack cheese and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until all the cheese has melted into the artichoke mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked macaroni.  Pour into a large casserole dish.
In a bowl, combine the Panko crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the artichoke macaroni.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs turn golden and crisp.  Serve.

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Welcome Spring: Creamy Parmesan Primavera Pasta

April 11, 2012

One of the first signs of spring around my household: baseball is back on tv!  I’m not the baseball fan (that would be my husband) but that nostalgic reminder of impending warm weather is always a relief.

My favorite sign of spring: it’s no longer dark at 4 pm!  We had daylight until 7pm last weekend and, yes, I definitely noted the time when the sun set. There is nothing like the first long, sunny day to instantly transform your mood.

That’s what winter is for, right?  Helps you appreciate the little things.

Another right-up-there-at-the-top sign of spring?  Fresh asparagus and wild mushrooms in abundance at the local grocery!

When I saw the big sale on asparagus, I knew I wanted to welcome spring with a delicious Primavera pasta dish.

The creamy parmesan sauce in this dish is amazingly delicious.

It’s so good, I wasn’t sure whether to list the ‘Servings’ count as ’2′ or ’4′.

It should serve four, but then my meat-and-potatoes-guy and I finished nearly the whole dish in one sitting.

Because you have to go back for seconds – it’s just too much creamy, cheesy deliciousness not to.

Here are all the key ingredients you’ll need to get started.

Begin by boiling a big pot of water and adding plenty of salt.

Then cook up some linguine until it’s al dente (just barely cooked through).

In the meantime, mince some garlic.

Place a knife over a clove of garlic so it lies flat.

And then press down hard with the palm of your hand to break open the clove.

Then mince up the garlic.

Cut the ends off a shallot and cut it in half.

Peel off the skins.

Place the halves flat-side-down on the cutting board.

And cut thin slices of shallot.

Saute the garlic and shallots in a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Next, prepare the asparagus.

I think asparagus, with its crisp, peppery flavor, tastes amazing with creamy pasta dishes.

And it’s extremely healthy too.  Asparagus has a lot of Vitamin C (for a healthy immune system and smooth, clear skin), tons of fiber (to keep you feeling full with very few calories), and tons of folate (may protect against Alzheimer’s).

Asparagus is so easy to prepare too.

Just grab several stocks, hold them together, and chop off the ends. You should cut off about the bottom third of the stalks. The ends are too tough to eat.

Then just cut the stalks into quarter-inch slices.  Done!

Add the asparagus to the sauté pan and season with salt and pepper.

Next, chop up some mushrooms.

My husband thought the oyster mushrooms looked great at the grocery, so he chose those.

But substitute your favorite kind!

To prepare oyster mushrooms, just chop off the base and then rinse the mushrooms well.

Then chop them up and add to the sauté pan.

Add some sun-dried tomatoes to introduce some concentrated tomato flavor to the dish.

Just rinse off any excess oil (the extra oil isn’t necessary in this dish and just adds calories), and chop up the tomato halves.

Add those to the pan as well and season well with salt and pepper.

Turn off the heat and add a bit of low-fat sour cream and some nutmeg.

I like using low-fat sour cream as a substitute to cream and butter in creamy pasta dishes.  It adds a lot of rich flavor with less than half the saturated fat and calories.

Grate some fresh Parmigiano Reggiano.

And add the parmesan and the cooked pasta to the pan.

Stir everything together…

…and serve!

With the creamy, cheesy sauce, the crisp, bright asparagus and the rich, earthy mushrooms, this dish is really satisfying and flavorful.

It tastes very, very indulgent.

And yet the whole wheat pasta and all the veggies make it healthy!

This recipe may serve four.

Or it may serve two, depending upon how much you’re able to resist seconds.

And thirds…

Enjoy welcoming spring!

Here is the complete printable recipe:

Print
Creamy Parmesan Primavera Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: Healthy Pasta Dish
 

Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 pound asparagus, chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 ounces sun-dried tomato halves, chopped
  • ½ cup low-fat sour cream
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 6 ounces whole wheat linguine
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
  1. Boil a large pot of water. Salt the water and add the linguine. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and shallots until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes more. Add the chopped mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
  3. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream and nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and the grated parmesan. Stir everything to combine. Serve.


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