Happy Halloween!!  Sorry for the rush in the day but i have 17 things to do this morning and only about 45 minutes to do it.  Including getting my costume on for work.  Depending how I look I may share a photo or two on Wednesday!

OK OK – the weekend is over and it is back to the normal weekday grind.

On Sunday morning I had some time to prepare lunch as the rest of the gang was out.  I knew I wanted something simple cause we had to be on the move shortly after 1:00 so I came up with a simple pasta dish.  Mrs. Zesty loves pasta and mushrooms - so what better way to use up some mushrooms than kick them up a notch with both some heat and some noodles.  As I was looking around the fridge and pantry, I noticed some white wine that was begging to be finished as well as some fresh arugula and some button mushrooms.

My mind was made up and we were good to go.

Ingredients

• 1 handful Fettuccine
• 10 -12 Mushrooms ( chopped)
• 1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 12 Grape tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup white wine
• 1 Cup Arugula
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan; salt and add pasta.  Cook according to directions and drain.
2. In a large pan, turn on medium heat and olive oil and half the butter.  Add mushrooms and begin to cook down – 4-5 minutes
3. Season with salt and pepper, add red pepper flakes and cumin.  Cook another 3 minutes
4. Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 more minutes.
5. With heat still on medium, toss in the white wine and cook down for 1 minute.  Add remaining pat of butter and stir.
6. Toss in the arugula and let wilt for 2 minutes.
7. Add cooked drained pasta and toss gently.  Shred Parmesan cheese before serving.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For the sauce, if you are finding it too dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water before draining down the sink.  This will bring a nice starchy salty flavor to the sauce and give it a nice balance.

OK there you have it.  A simple yet rich dish great for a Sunday lunch or any meal throughout the week.  Nothing special but a nice hearty dish to serve with a hunk of homemade bread and a tall glass of mil to battle the heat.  I hope you have a super Monday and I will see you in 48 hours.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Monday morning to you.  Or let’s at least hope it is a happy Monday.  It’s Easter week which is kind of exciting, shortened work week, chocolate everywhere and a bunny will be hopping by the house soon enough.  Ever not feel like making dinner and ordering out but you don’t want to order out cause you are too lazy to get dressed and go pick it up?  That was like me last night.  I had no energy to venture outside and drive to get a yummy take out meal, possibly Lebanese food, maybe a little taste of china or even one of my staple choices of Swiss Chalet chicken.  Instead I opted for a vegetarian pasta that was super simple yet flavorful.

It started out with fresh ingredients as any great dish should, coupled by a few distinct flavors, garlic and basil and blossomed from there with a hint of parmesan cheese and the juice of ripened tomatoes.  It was GOOD.

Ingredients

• Penne Pasta ( cooked according to directions )
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Cups spinach
• 1 Clove garlic ( Minced)
• 1/4 Cup Pine nuts
• 1/3 Cup Parmesan cheese
• 10-12 Cherry  Tomatoes
• 6-7 Mushrooms
• 1 Handful of fresh basil

Method

1. Cook pasta according to directions; Heat a large frying pan or wok and add the olive oil
2. Begin to saute the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes, add garlic and pine nuts; let cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Toss in tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes; add in spinach, fresh basil and half the Parmesan cheese.
4. Drain pasta, reserving a little bit of pasta liquid and add noodle to the vegetable mixture.
5. Toss and add remaining Parmesan cheese
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make sure you salt the water when cooking pasta.  Adding salt to the water will allow the pasta to absorb the flavor while cooking and enhance your dish.   When adding pasta to a sauce or mixture like above, you can sometimes under cook the pasta by a minute or two as it will continue cooking in the sauce.

Nothing fancy, nothing astounding, just a dish that will satisfy you in 11 minutes or less and keep you in your pajamas on a wet and windy Sunday night.  Isn’t that really how I roll?  Straight from the hip and a dish for everyone.  This was actually very tasty.  I added some fresh cracked black pepper at the very end which accompanied the cheese very well.

Have a super start to your week and I will be chatting with you again mid week.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

It’s Friday, It’s Friday!!  How are you doing?  Hopefully all is well but just in case you are down in the dumps – I have a spicy low carb pasta recipe that will make your tongue hop.  One of my favorite things to eat with pasta is a little bit of heat.  Nothing uncontrollable but I do like a bit of spice that can be accompanied by a nice glass of white milk.

Remember when I did a “how to cook pasta” post, pretending I am Italian but oh well…. I feel I have eaten enough pasta to somehow understand the ins and outs of cooking noodles.  But what I remember the most is asking everyone what your favorite drink to have with noodles.  Surprising a lot of people said milk – which is my favorite for sure.

When you take a look at this dish – it could not get any easier.  Shrimp is an excellent source of protein and super easy to work with ( especially if you just buy frozen ).  Very quick to cook and you can have this low carb pasta recipe on the table in 15 minutes.  That is my kind of meal.  With everyone busy and doing 100 different things, eating healthy still has to be a priority in order to keep the energy levels up.

Next time you have some a craving for pasta – give this low carb pastas recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces  fresh or frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 8 Oz.  dried Whole wheat spaghetti ( I just use a handful)
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 or 2  fresh jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 Cloves  garlic, minced
• 2 cups  cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, or chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Black pepper
• Shaved green onion
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.
3. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil,  chile peppers and garlic to hot skillet; cook and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add shrimp; cook and stir about 3 minutes more or until shrimp are opaque.
5. Stir in tomatoes, salt, and black pepper; heat through.
6. Drain spaghetti; toss with shrimp mixture.
7. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with green onion.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Because chile peppers contain oils that can burn your skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with them as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands do touch the peppers, wash your hands and nails well with soap and warm water.

Flo-rida Vacation Update

Just a quick update on the accommodations for the Disney World trip, I want to thank everyone for their emails and comments – It was really fun to read through everyone’s ideas and Mrs Zesty and I are very appreciative.  I think we are going to try and pull the trigger today so I will keep you posted on the final choice.

Have a super weekend and I will chit chat with you on Monday.  Oh wait and before I go – try this recipe.  If you like shrimp – I am pretty sure you will be singing the praises of this one.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty