Thursday, August 18, 2011

Using a Spiralizer to Make Vegan Alfredo Pasta

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Did you know you could use a spiralizer to make a healthy version of traditional pasta Alfredo? Are you a Vegan or a health conscious individual who used to love a good creamy Alfredo pasta sauce, but had to give it up? Many Vegans love creamy cheese pasta sauces such as a traditional Alfredo sauce and in this article I'm going to show you how to use a spiralizer and make a Vegan Alfredo sauce.
To make a healthier version of pasta Alfredo you'll need a blender and a tool called a spiralizer and a dose of creativity. The spiralizer you can find online or in some kitchen specialty stores, it is sometimes called a spiral slicer. Use the spiralizer according to it's instructions with some peeled medium sized zucchini on either the thin or thick setting. If you don't have a specialized tool you can use a simple vegetable peeler and peel the zucchini to make noodles.
You can eat the zucchini noodles raw or gently steam or saute them with some olive oil. If zucchini pasta isn't your thing, you can use kelp noodles, buckwheat, or quinoa noodles as a healthy substitute to gluten filled white pasta. Now for the sauce. To make the Vegan Alfredo you will need some white nuts such as raw macadamia nuts or pine nuts. In a pinch, cashews or blanched and peeled almonds will do.
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
1 cup macadamia or pine nuts
1 cup coconut water (or 1 cup water + a pinch of stevia or other sweetener)
3 tablespoons raw tahini butter
2 teaspoons white or chickpea miso
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. You can pour the sauce directly over the zucchini noodles or warm it up a bit in a pot. No cooking is necessary.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe! For more healthy recipes and resources for Vegans please check out the links below:
Click here to learn more about the spiralizer. Cecilia is a raw food teacher in Sonoma, CA. Please visit her raw foods website for your Free Raw Food Starter Guide E-book and a raw food list to set up your raw food kitchen today!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4947949

Making Your Own Homemade Pasta

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When it comes to making your own homemade pasta, having the right pasta machine is essential. Pasta makers come in all different shapes and sizes and can be manual or automatic. The manual pasta makers are the authentic, original machines. Now of days they are making electric pasta machines, which takes a little away from how authentic the hole process is.
When looking for the right machine for your home and restaurant, which one is right for you? Whether your getting one for your home, or for a restaurant, will pretty much be the biggest decision you'll have to make. If your getting one for your home, the machine will only need to be small, just big enough to make enough pasta for your family, or a small group of people.
If you own a restaurant and want a highly efficient pasta maker, then getting a bigger, faster, or maybe even an electric pasta machine would be a good idea. When dealing with a restaurant, the speed, amount made, and quality is the key to success.
There are many pasta cutters out there that work fantastic, and will get the trick done. But then there's ones that are high in quality, and will last you forever. When it comes to deciding on the right one to purchase, take quality, durability, and efficiency into consideration. I like to read reviews on the machines before I purchase one. Seeing what other buyers have to say is very helpful when making a decision on purchasing something.
If your thinking about getting into making your own homemade noodles for your pasta, then getting a pasta machine is the right idea. Go out and grab a nice, affordable, quality pasta machine for your home or restaurant, you wont regret it!
Getting a pasta maker was a great decision for my household. My grandmother just moved in and loves to cook just as much, if not more than my mother. My family is from Italy and we love a good sauce. Every Sunday we break out all the ingredients, the pasta makers, and everything we need to make our homemade pasta.
My friends come over every once in a while and say my mother has the best sauce out there! And to top it off the noodles are homemade right in my kitchen from our new pasta cutter. When it comes to a good homemade pasta, nothing beats the homemade noodles, with the homemade sauce and meatballs to go with it. Little bit of Parmesan cheese, and your ready to go!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6473889

Monday, August 8, 2011

Quick and Easy Ways With Pasta: Linguine Carbanara, Noodles Romanoff, and Spinach Pesto

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When you are in a hurry to prepare a hearty meal for family and/or friends, grab a box of pasta and get to work. Pasta is quick, easy, and almost everyone loves it. These recipes are for the busy cook who still wants to serve tasty, nutritious meals. The Noodles Romanoff is as easy as it gets! The Linguine Carbonara and the Spinach Pesto Pasta offer a variety sure to suit your family. Add a quick salad or steamed broccoli, some whole-grain bread, quick dessert if you desire, and you have a meal.
Quick and Easy Noodles Romanoff
8-oz pkg egg noodles
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles well and return to the pan. Add the sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Toss noodles lightly to coat with the sour cream and cheese. Serve immediately while still hot.
Yield: 4 servings
LINGUINE PASTA CARBONARA
8 oz linguine
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Cook linguine as directed on the package. Drain but do not rinse; return to the pan. Whisk together the eggs, butter, and milk; toss with the linguine. Add the remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Serve sprinkled with additional cheese, if desired.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
SPINACH PESTO OVER PASTA
6 bacon slices
10 oz pkg spaghetti or fettucini noodles
1 pkg (10-oz) frozen chopped spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash of fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a large skillet cook the bacon until crisp. Drain the grease off bacon but save 2 tablespoons of the drippings*. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Cook the spaghetti or fettucini as directed on package.
While the pasta is cooking, cook the spinach according to package directions in a medium saucepan. Place the undrained spinach, reserved bacon drippings, garlic, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Add the undrained cottage cheese, replace cover and blend until smooth.
Arrange the pasta on a large serving platter. Pour the spinach pesto over the pasta; toss to mix well. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and the Parmesan cheese over the top before serving. Serve immediately.
*For a healthier dish, substitute olive oil for the bacon drippings.
(Note: What a great way to get your picky eaters to eat spinach.)
Enjoy!
For more of Linda's quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com
For her diabetic information and recipes visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6462149