Monday, February 4, 2013

So tired.......exhausted really.....

Evidently too much excitement in one weekend for me!  But it was a fun one and I have plenty of time to catch up if I ever will.  I have finished 2 books now but cannot for the life of me find the jackets to them!  I swear I have leprechauns in this house and they are constantly hiding things on me!  Then it will suddenly appear where I had looked a hundred times before.....hmph!
But I did cook a great recipe which I've made before but don't think I've shared with you.  It is from this cookbook....... 

She is a nutritionist and believes that you shouldn't have to give up the foods you love in order to cut back on calories or eat healthier.  Sounded good to me!  I think I remember hearing someone in her family got diabetes too and she started "converting" their favorite recipes which were all of sudden totally "off-limits". 
I cook from this book a lot and at first I tried it using my regular ingredients and then I would use her recipe with her substitutions and I noticed no difference really so why eat the extra calories if it tastes the same?
I highly recommend this cookbook and she has one just for desserts too which I want to get.  She has a website www.marlenekoch.com 
 I like my recipes to meet certain criteria to make the cut to my "favs".  I like them to be 1) inexpensive to make, 2) no exotic ingredients that I would have to send away for, 3) taste great,  4) be fairly healthy and 5) easy to make.
This recipe fits ALL those criteria and is comfort food at it's best!  Here's the recipe and I hope you like it as much as I do.

Rigatoni, White Beans, and Sausage

--------------------------------------

Makes 6 servings

8 ounces rigatoni pasta (wheat would be great if you can get it but I can't around here)
2 C reduced sodium chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb turkey kielbasa sausage, sliced thin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 (14 oz) can white cannellini beans ( I had to use Northern as no cannellini's around here!)
1 (14 oz) can no-salt added diced tomatoes, well drained (whoops...I forgot that part..drained I mean...I didn't notice a difference)
6 ounces (6 cups....the size of those Dole bags) fresh baby spinach leaves
6 Tblsp grated parmesan cheese for garnish when serving
freshly cracked black pepper (whoops...forgot that too but it still tasted great!)

1.  Cook the pasta, according to the directions on the package, in a large pot.  Drain and set aside.
2.  Pour the chicken broth and garlic into the same pot.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
     Add the sausage, oregano, and olive oil.  Stir well.
3.  Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and cooked pasta to the pot.  Place the spinach on top of the mixture.  Cover with a lid and turn off the heat.  Allow to steam for about 1 minute, just until the spinach has begun to wilt.  Stir mixture.
4.  Serve with a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on top and season with black pepper.


Enjoy!  BTW, Marlene includes all nutritional information at the bottom of each recipe in her book if you need more details.
P.S.  Don't forget,  this is the last day to enter my drawing for which the winner will be posted tomorrow.  Leave a comment that you want to be entered and if you want to see what you're receiving just check last Monday's post.

4 comments:

  1. That looks really delicious. Im going to write this recipe down. I'd like to try it. Thank you so much for sharing it :)
    Robyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds good. I don't eat meat but my kids would be especially happy if I put sausage in anything. :) I have a recipe that is somewhat similar where you use a can of Progresso lentil soup along with canned tomatoes, spinach and spices and mixed in cooked pasta. No meat required. :) I'm with you on the criteria -- and I never follow a recipe to a tee anyways. I know how I want things to taste and I like spice so if it calls for 3 cloves of garlic, I'll put 5 or 6. Most recipes I try I find are way too bland so I always add extra of what I like. Have a great day! Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Sam,

    It's Penny Teem... could you please let Sue know her spinning wheel is ready??? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Superb, what a website it is! This web site gives
    helpful data to us, keep it up.

    Here is my web blog height to waist ratio

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for stopping by and for commenting. Comments are "grist for the mill" and I appreciate each and every one of them!