BLOG 5 Oct 16

Ciao girls! Today we have a delicious recipe that I think you will all enjoy!

THIS WEEK’S THEME: Healthy Italian!

 Italian food is my FAVORITE! Who doesn’t love pizza and pasta?! Unfortunately, pizza and pasta is usually saturated in cheese which does nothing for my waist line or arteries! Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if we could eat chicken alfredo and meatball marinara all day long without gaining weight?? Well, while I think it would take a miracle to do that, I DID find an awesome recipe that combines authentic Italian ingredients to create a traditional flavor with less calories than traditional cheese/meat filled pastas!

Another reason, and perhaps a more important reason I decided to choose this theme is because I wanted to reference how important it is to eat whole grains by replacing foods that contain enriched or refined grains. Penne, rotini, fettucine, ziti, spaghetti, etc. are almost ALWAYS made of enriched/refined grains. Unfortunately, these grains have adverse effects on our health that most of us aren’t aware of.

We all know that wheat bread is more nutritious than white, or as my dad says, “the whiter the bread, the sooner your dead.” But do we even know why? REFINED GRAINS include white rice, white bread, regular white pasta, and other foods that have been made with white flour (also called enriched wheat flour or all-purpose flour), including many cookies, cakes, breakfast cereals, crackers, pastas, breads, and snack foods. During the refining process, however, the bran and germ are removed from the whole grain. The endosperm, the part of the grain that is left after the refining process, is primarily composed of starchy carbohydrates and is low in nutrients. Some nutrients, including iron and a handful of B vitamins, are added back to refined grains and flours during manufacturing (hence the term "enriched wheat flour"), but these represent only a FRACTION of what is initially removed from the grain. For these reasons, refined grains do not provide the same health benefits as whole grains. The type of carbohydrates you eat makes a big difference in the way you metabolize food and in the amount of energy you have. Refined grains are quickly digested into simple sugars and absorbed into your bloodstream; this can cause blood-sugar levels to spike and then quickly crash. These rapid swings in blood sugar can drain your energy and leave you feeling moody and tired. On the other hand, high-quality carbohydrates such as whole grains are rich in fiber, which helps temper blood sugars by slowing the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream after meals. They provide long-lasting energy that will keep you fueled for hours. That’s why it’s best to choose high-quality carbohydrates — which include whole grains as well as vegetables, fruits, beans, and legumes — instead of poor-quality carbohydrates, like refined grains, whenever possible (1).

RECIPE: Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (0:25 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces WHOLE-WHEAT penne pasta
• 1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
•  freshly grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. 

Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. 

                               Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl.

 Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper (2). Top with Parmesan and enjoy your delicious HEALTHY ITALIAN!

Bon Apetit! 

The Food Enthusiast,

Aly

Sources Cited

1.  http://www.joybauer.com/food-articles/refined-grains.aspx

2.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-sun-dried-tomato-pesto-recipe/index.html