Why Pasta Dishes Are Important for Your Body

By Heldawaty Sihombing

Pasta dishes are not just delicious tasting but are also very good for your health, very easy to prepare and very affordable. Although there has been some controversy whether eating pasta is good or bad for your health, recent studies show that pasta contains good nutrition for your body's needs and can reduce the risk of breast cancer and diabetes. If you have a desire to be on a healthy diet by eating foods containing good nutrition, then pasta is perfect for you.

One health aspect worth considering is that pasta is low in fat. This means eating pasta will not cause any weight gain, as long as you do not eat too much, which is common sense for any food. Many diet experts encourage their clients to eat pasta, as 100 grams only contains 2 grams of fat. In addition to that, pasta also is low in saturated fats that contribute to heart disease. The complex carbohydrates in pasta are very important for your body. Without carbohydrates, your body will not have a source of energy, which is produced by consumption of carbohydrates as the main energy source. The carbohydrates content in pasta is very high, about 54 grams per 100 gram serving. This means that it will be good to eat pasta an hour or two before going to the gym because your body will be full of energy.

Eating pasta after a workout is also good so that the energy released during working out is immediately replaced. The vitamin A content in healthy pasta dishes is also high, contributing to the health of skin and vision and the growth of bones. Vitamin A is also the main agent against infection and therefore its supply into the body is crucial. Vitamin B9 is also found in pasta. This vitamin is very important to get during pregnancy as it has been shown to help prevent miscarriages. Pasta also contains potassium, an important mineral for your cardiovascular health. Besides, potassium also plays an important role in keeping your muscles functioning properly.

All of those ingredients found in pasta dishes are what makes pasta a healthy food. If eating a slice of bread only gives you a small amount of carbohydrates, then why not eat pasta, which is high in carbohydrates and other important vitamins and minerals for your body. Moreover, pasta can be a very delicious meal if served with vegetables, fish, meat, beans and so on.

Eating pasta dishes is very important to give your body nutrition it needs. Healthy pasta dishes are also easy to make so it should not be a hard work for the sake of your health.

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Bring on the Pasta for a Quick and Easy Meal! How About Spaghetti Bolognese or Tomato Basil Linguine

By Linda Carol Wilson

Pasta is a great standby for quick and easy meals. If you want to add some variety to the pasta dishes you usually turn to, try these recipes for a tasty Spaghetti Bolognese or a Linguine topped with Fresh Tomato and Basil! Your family with love this Spaghetti Bolognese recipe. It is quick, easy, and family friendly. Using the whole-wheat or whole-grain spaghetti give this dish a healthy touch by adding more fiber to your family's diet. It is practically sugar-free, contains meat, vegetables, grain, and a touch of dairy with the grated Parmesan. Add a tossed salad or steamed broccoli for a healthy meal. For a lighter pasta dish, try the Fresh Tomato and Basil Linguine. It is so good and it is guilt-free! Now that is a real deal!!

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15-oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce
4 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8-oz thin whole-wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef and onion until the beef is crumbled and browned; drain well in a colander. Wipe skillet out with a paper towel and return beef and onion to the pan. Stir in the undrained tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Add the bay leaves, Italian seasoning and the Worcestershire sauce. Cover skillet and simmer about 25 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves before serving. If you want to serve a crusty whole-grain bread with your pasta, try serving it with the Bread Dipping Sauce at the end of this article. One tasty family meal coming up!

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.

To serve, spoon the sauce over the hot spaghetti and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.

Yield: 4 servings

FRESH TOMATO AND BASIL LINGUINE
8-oz uncooked linguine
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil that's chopped fine
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook the linguine according to the package directions.

While linguine cooks, mix the tomatoes, olive oil, basil, garlic, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the cooked and drained linguine and the Parmesan cheeses to the tomato mixture and toss to coat.
Serve immediately while linguine is hot.

Yield: 4 1-cup servings.

BREAD DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to suit taste
Crusty bread

Yield: 1 serving
For more servings, multiply the ingredients by the number of servings needed.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's quick and easy recipes visit http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com
For her slow cooker and crockpot meals visit http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com

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Cooking Pasta Made Easy

By Dragutin Filipcic

Now that we have covered some of the more time-consuming aspects of pasta, like making pasta from scratch, let's move on to more familiar territory. Have you ever noticed how big the pasta aisle at the super market is? It's because pasta is a quick meal that can be tailored to fit any tastes, no matter how sophisticated or how picky. Dry pasta can be used to make hot or cold meals. It stores well and doesn't lose its flavor. There are even some excellent jarred sauces that make preparation even quicker. The following dishes use dry pasta and some prepackaged ingredients for the sake of expediency.

Baked pasta dishes are great for a crowd or for leftovers the next day. Dinner that can also feed everyone lunch the next day? Perfect! This version of baked ziti uses store-bought pesto, but this can easily be made fresh if you prefer.

Baked Ziti

1 package Hot Italian Sausages, casings removed

4 cloves Garlic, diced

1 large White Onion, diced

1/2 of a package Pesto, the kind found in the refrigerated section works well here

1 28 ounce can Tomatoes, diced and peeled

1 package Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained

8 ounces Mozzarella cheese diced into cubes

1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

3 cups cooked Ziti or Penne Pasta

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13 inch Pyrex pan.

Sauté sausage, garlic and onions until slightly browned. Add Pesto and diced tomatoes. Allow this mixture to simmer on low for 30 to 40 minutes.

In a bowl combine, spinach, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Add the Ziti to the spinach mixture. Combine Ziti and tomato mixture. Mix thoroughly and pour into greased pan. Cover with foil and bake Ziti mixture for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is slightly browned.

The spinach and sausage in this dish make it extremely tasty, and the cheese gives it a satisfying creaminess.

An Easier Pasta Dish

For an even easier dish cook the Ziti or Penne and let it cool slightly. To this add your choice of chopped olives, chopped pepperoni, cubed mozzarella and chopped roasted red peppers (these can be found jarred in the pickle section of your supermarket). Dress this with Italian dressing. Allow to sit 30 minutes before serving. This is a great dish to serve on hot days or as a side dish. It can be modified a million different ways by adding fresh produce or different kinds of cheese.

A good place to find easy pasta dishes is on the box of dry pasta itself. Depending on the type of noodle you will find hundreds of recipes this way.

You will find more on Making pasta site.

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Losing Weight With Shirataki Noodles

By Tricia Mowatt

Pasta is a key ingredient in many world renowned dishes. While this has led to a variety of flavorful dishes, it has also led to the food becoming tainted by manufacturers. This once healthy ingredient has now largely grown to contain high levels of carbohydrates, MSGs, sugar, calories, fat and even gluten. These new ingredients are well-known to cause severe health problems and prevent weight loss. For this reason, losing weight with Shirataki noodles has become a popular choice.

Health enthusiasts have begun to remove all traces of pasta from their meals. However, a new trend is helping to change that. Shirataki noodles are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to conventional pasta. This food, in its unaltered state, contains none of the harmful ingredients mentioned above but makes the perfect addition to almost any dish. Even noodles created out of tofu contains only 40 calories in each serving (compare that to over 200 in conventional pasta noodles). This is why losing weight with Shirataki noodles is an easy and tasty endeavor.

But the weight loss benefits of Shirataki noodles continue even further, as there are more reasons why losing weight with these noodles is a healthy choice. What this super food lacks in fattening ingredients it makes up for in its essential vitamins and nutrients. Fiber, which is found in this food, is well-known for its health benefits. From lowering cholesterol to helping prevent certain types of cancer, fiber is an important supplement that is available in abundance with each serving of these noodles. It's also known for helping you feel full for a longer period of time, a key aspect of losing weight with this super food. Other important ingredients are also included, and both the taste and health benefits of these noodles can be enhanced by preparing them with vegetables. After all, losing weight with Shirataki noodles is about more than just reducing your pant size; it should also promote your overall health.

Of course, as with any healthy dish, it's important not to consume too many noodles in a short period of time. Consuming an overabundance of fiber can actually lead your digestive system to use more energy than it should. This is because excessive amounts of fiber are difficult to digest and may even be pushed through before the noodles have been broken down. Although losing weight with Shirataki noodles is a great way to get in shape, you should hold off if you find pieces of noodles in your waste.

You can find plenty of additional information about losing weight with Shirataki noodles by visiting Shirataki Noodle Facts. Tricia Mowatt, the administrator of this helpful blog, has conducted extensive research regarding the subject.

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Using a Spiralizer to Make Vegan Alfredo Pasta

By Cecilia Benjumea

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!

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Making Your Own Homemade Pasta

By Anthony J Valentine

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!

Pasta Machine
Pasta Maker

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

By Linda Carol Wilson

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

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