Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo Nuts Style Is Just As Creamy and Delicious Without All the Extra Calories!

When I first found this recipe, I was almost reluctant to try it.  Let's be honest, a pasta sauce of rich cream, butter, and Parmesan cheese may be fattening but it is simply delicious and one of my favorite comfort dishes.  The thought of substituting plain Greek-style yogurt for the cream and butter with olive oil didn't sound especially appealing. 

However, I became intrigued over the possibility of switching out those heavier ingredients.  Then, I decided more can be done so I added to the seasonings along with including some flavorful protein from mushrooms with some tasty browned onions and garlic until I developed this incredible low calorie version of this beloved creamy white cheese sauce.

Of course, I understand if you still are uncertain about experimenting with this recipe.  It took me a few days before I was brave enough to make a sauce with plain Greek yogurt.  Once you do though, there is no turning back.  The bonus is that my sauce is easy to make and does stick to the pasta surprisingly well besides taste great.

What makes it even more decadent is serving such satisfying splendor on a bed of homemade pasta for a truly memorable dining experience.  Of course, you can substitute store-bought, but it does not even come close to my pasta recipe.  

Here's a wonderful tip.  Once you boil your pasta, do save  some of that water to later add to your finished product.  This will thicken and moisten your pasta in the process.

Fettuccine Alfredo Nuts Style

1 lb. of fettuccine or homemade pasta
1/4 cup of olive oil
12 oz. of fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced.
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 cups of evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup of plain Greek-style yogurt
2/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel or 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Brown your chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil until golden. 

Next, add the chopped mushrooms and continue browning.

Cook the pasta.

As the pasta cooks, prepare the white sauce.  Measure the milk, yogurt, basic, cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon peel and mix well before adding to the skillet with your browned vegetables.

Drain the pasta and add to the mixture, heating through just to warm.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Eating Healthier Made Easier With My Delicious Summer Harvest Vegetarian Pasta Dish!

Summer Harvest Vegetarian Pasta Dish

The recipe that I want to share is a great light dish to experience a harvest of nature at its peak as  flavors of fresh vegetables beautifully combine in a simple olive oil sauce with lightly browned onions,  jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes served on top of a bed of homemade pasta noodles or whatever form of spaghetti you like. 

Besides my Summer Harvest Vegetarian Pasta recipe, I will give you my recipe for homemade pasta dough, which truly compliments that natural goodness more than any box can.  Of course, you don't need to make your own pasta for this recipe to work.  My recipe tastes wonderful with prepackaged pastas as well. However, homemade pasta is so much tastier, more filling, and thriftier than buying off your grocer's shelf. 

Making homemade noodles is easier than you think.  I like to use my food processor to assemble the dough and then a hand-crank pasta machine.  Once you get the hang of making your dough a few times, you will be able to whip up a batch in about thirty minutes from start to boiling your water to cook them up.

Feel free to add whatever vegetables to your dish your family likes.  Slices of zucchini, green and red peppers, garlic, or squashes are fantastic alternatives and provide extra color. 

I hope you try both of my recipes because I think you will love them!

My Summer Harvest Vegetarian Pasta

1/3 cup of olive oil
1 medium onion (1 cup finely chopped)
1 cup of fresh basil leaves or 2 tablespoons of dried basil
3 to 5 Jalapeno peppers or 1 medium to large green pepper (chopped)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons of salt
12 oz. of fresh mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
5 medium tomatoes (chopped in small piece)

Heat your olive oil and then lightly brown your finely chopped onion before adding your chopped peppers. 

Next, you add your sliced mushrooms to the ingredient mix and the basil.

Lastly, you throw in your chopped tomato pieces along the sugar and salt.  By doing so, you will not overcook them and preserve more of that fresh tomato taste and nicer texture.

Serve on top of your choice of my yummy homemade pasta noodles or store-bought. Either choice is delicious.


ENJOY!

Nothing Beats My Homemade Pasta Recipe

Homemade pasta is tastier, healthier and more filling than what you can buy.

I guess I'm spoiled when it comes to homemade pasta over a  boxed package.  You can't beat the taste, texture, how filling it is, and knowing your ingredients are preservative free!  Besides, you'll discover how delicious and easy making your own dough is from scratch because if you want to save lots of money on your grocery bill invest in a pasta machine.

I like the old-fashioned manual pasta machine as you can see from my picture.  Some friends of mine have the electric pasta machines and hate it because it is too slow.  Once you get the hang of my simple recipe, you can make your pasta dough in the food processor and crank out the dough in your pasta machine in about thirty minutes! 

Involve the kids with flouring your dough, cranking, or just moving aside some of the finished noodles can be a wonderful and fun learning experience.

At our house, sometimes my hubby and the kids make the dough and time themselves to see if Dad's team is faster to get dinner on the table on pasta day or Mom's team.  This may sound silly, but cooking together as a family is a lot of fun.  It also makes children feel they accomplished something special with another new skill.

The less work involved, the better I like it.  For this reason, I always make my dough in my food processor.  This really is a great tool in addition to your pasta machine.

Manual pasta machines are fairly cheap.  I think I paid about $50.  I did wear out a few screw parts that attach to the table.  But found replacements, which were untouched in a box with a brand new pasta machine, at the flea market for $5.00!  Some people get them as gifts and never even open the box.  Unfortunately, I bought my machine in the store and only needed the part.  Still, the part was cheaper at $5.00 than going to the hardware store for a replacement, which I checked.

My recipe uses plain flour--not more expensive semolina flour.  Some people insist upon using just semolina, which I'm sure is excellent.  However, I am showing you my cheap version that tastes wonderful to my family.

Usually when I make pasta, I whip up enough dough for soup noodles as well as pasta for dinner.  This saves me time and thoughts of what to prepare for lunch.  

If you don't want to save any for soup noodles, then put some aside to reheat another time in your microwave after you prepare the finished pasta.  You could invent another quick lunch or even dinner around your precooked pasta noodles.  

Either way you work it, you'll love how special homemade pasta is.  Trust me, you'll be nuts about it once you taste the difference.

Homemade Pasta Dough

5 cups flour
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Put everything in your food processor with the dough blade and process until it forms a ball.  Remove and place on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into pieces and flatten.  If the dough sticks, you dab the piece in some flour.  Then you fit that piece through your pasta machine using the thick setting (number 1).  Do this for all the pieces you cut.

After you run the dough through the number 1 setting, you adjust your pasta machine to the thickness of your choice.  My preference is (number 4), which reminds me of a linguini noodle. Keep flouring if you need to.  

Run all the flattened pieces through the thinner setting, then you're ready to remove your crank and fasten on the noodle side.  Crank all the pieces and set aside until you're ready to start boiling up the pasta.  All you need is a wonderful sauce, and presto dinner is ready!

ENJOY!