Low-Carb Leftovers Recipe: Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette Dressed Salad

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! With all the excess of yesterday's feast, you may be in the mood for something lighter today, and this delicious salad will hit the spot - while helping you use up leftovers at the same time! Use the remnants of Thanksgiving dinner to create a scrumptious dinner salad that won't leave you feeling bloated.

Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette Dressed Salad

Ingredients:

Leftover cranberries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 cup cranberry sauce (whole berry)
1 small sweet orange, zested and squeezed*
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 olive oil
fresh spinach
leftover turkey
chopped walnuts

Instructions:

• Put the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, and salt in a bowl and stir until blended.
• Drizzle in the olive oil, slowly, whisking constantly, adding a bit of olive oil at a time until the vinaigrette becomes smooth and thickens.
• Arrange a bed of spinach and turkey pieces on salad plates and top with generous amount of vinaigrette.
• Sprinkle walnuts on top of salad and serve cold.

* You can make this also with leftover cranberry orange relish.  Just substitute the sauce with the relish and eliminate the zested and juiced orange in the recipe. Everything else remains the same.

Low-Carb Thanksgiving Recipe: City Lights Creamed Spinach

Instead of green bean casserole full of fried onions this Thanksgiving, try this tasty, low-carb side dish instead. Creamed spinach is also a holiday classic, but with fewer carbs than many other dishes that traditionally grace the Thanksgiving table. Give this one a try this year, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

City Lights Creamed Spinach
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp organic butter
1/2 small onion, diced fine
2 green onions, diced fine
1/2 cup natural chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream (preferably organic)
20 oz frozen leaf spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

Instructions:

• Put the butter in a skillet over heat and melt.
• Add both onions and cook until soft, about 3 or 4 minutes.
• Add the broth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and heat for 1 minute, stirring.
• Slowly pour in cream, stirring constantly and bring just to a boil, then immediately turn heat to low and simmer until liquid reduces, for about 8 to 12 minutes. This creamy sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and stay there.
• When sauce is thickened, add the spinach, stirring to combine, and continue simmering over low heat until the spinach is hot.
• Serve immediately.

Try Something New: Low-Carb Thanksgiving Side Dishes

You have finally started to see results from your low-carb diet, but now, the holidays are here....  Perhaps  reinventing your traditional side dishes is one way to stay on your diet, but wouldn't it be fun to find entirely new and tasty sides to celebrate your accomplishment?  When it comes to side dishes, the sky's the limit so why not create an entirely new menu of side dishes this holiday season.  Let's take a look at some low carb side dishes that just may become new traditions in your family.

Smarter Starchy Sides

Cooked spaghetti squash (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all love our big pile of mashed potatoes and gravy, but on a low carb diet this is pretty much off the menu.  But, there are ways to satisfy that starchy craving without all the carbs involved.  A great alternative is baked spaghetti squash with Parmesan cheese.  This filling and satisfying side dish can fool the taste buds into believing you're getting a tummy full of starchy goodness without all the carbs.  Toss in a bit of cream cheese for a real smooth texture that makes this dish even yummier.

Another way to serve a side that tastes starchy without being loaded with carbs is with a brown rice dish.  Granted, brown rice is not exactly low in carbs, but you won't eat that much in a serving when you make a side dish that is loaded with mushrooms, vegetables, and even sausage.  This starchy side will definitely have you forgetting about your plate of potatoes.

A New Green

Getting away from the usual green bean casserole can be a struggle, but not when you replace it with a side dish that's just as creamy and tasty.  It's all about having the same textures in a new dish that we enjoy in our classics. Think of all the healthy greens that can be cooked with creamy ingredients.  For instance, a very flavorful green like kale can be tossed with almonds and Parmesan cheese for a  tasty side.  You have the creamy texture of the cheese and crunchy almonds that replace what you long for in the old classic, but with a fraction of the carbs.

Or consider a creamed spinach instead of your usual green bean casserole this year.  This is a wonderfully satisfying side dish that is made low carb easily by using almond flour or meal to thicken a white sauce instead of using wheat flour.  Add nuts for the additional crunch.  Or depart entirely from the greens and choose a cheesy eggplant bake instead.  When finding something new to replace the classics, think about what you like about your traditional side dishes and find ingredients that replicate the old, but with a new twist.

Don't Get Stuffed With Stuffing

This is the dish that has most of us falling way off the low-carb wagon.  The trick here is to create a whole new taste sensation so you don't miss the traditional herbed bread stuffing.  Here's where you need to get creative.  Instead of bread cubes, think of using cubes of yellow squash, then add cauliflower, sausage, and lots of celery, onion, chopped nuts and traditional herbs.  Bake this 'stuffing' outside the bird and you'll get to enjoy a whole new taste without all the carbs of bread.

Again, you want to replace the traditional breaded stuffing with a dish that is different enough to intrigue your guests, and their taste buds.  Look at ingredients like squash, nuts, sausage, apples, and even oysters.  Use traditional stuffing spices to tie it all together and your new side dish will be a definite hit.

Pumpkin soup. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Soups and Salads Move Up to Side Dish Status
Often, we think of soups and salads as starter courses, served before the main dish and sides.  But, why not choose a soup or salad as a side to serve along with your turkey or other main dish?  Stick with familiar fall ingredients and the flavors will be just right for your holiday table.

Why not make a thick, creamy pumpkin or squash soup to serve with dinner?  Try a curried carrot and parsnip soup or even a seafood bisque to satisfy that craving we all have for a nice filling starchy side dish.  Serve with a sprinkle of toasted salty almonds for crunch and a dollop of yogurt on top for extra creaminess.  You can even serve a hearty potato soup and you won't get as many carbs in the soup as you would in a serving of potatoes and gravy.

Salads loaded with fresh, healthy ingredients can easily replace your traditional green bean casserole or other carb-loaded vegetable side dish.  Use crispy spinach and mixed greens with a lot of added vegetables, then toss in goat cheese and other cheeses, along with nuts, and even a variety of thinly sliced hard sausages.  Don't forget to add fresh chopped savory herbs to complete the holiday flavor palate you're looking for.

Sometimes tweaking familiar traditional side dishes leaves us feeling a bit deprived;  we didn't get our real green bean casserole, stuffing, or mashed potatoes and gravy.  But, if we change the menu completely with brand new sides featuring entirely new ingredients, our taste buds are so intrigued, we may never even miss the old classics.

Try some of these twists on your Thanksgiving sides this week, and see just how tasty low-carb can be!

Recipe: Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage

We don't usually use canned meat, but if you're going to, corned beef is one thing that can take a while from scratch. This recipe combines fresh cabbage, onions, and celery with some canned items to make a simple corned beef dish that tastes pretty darn good.

Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 to 3 cups shredded corned beef (precooked)
1 can (28 oz size) crushed tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp coarse ground prepared mustard

Instructions:

• Get out an oven-proof pot or Dutch oven, and coat inside with cooking oil.
• Arrange the cabbage wedges as evenly as possible into the pot, sprinkle the onion and celery evenly over the top of the cabbage, then carefully pour in the chicken broth.
• Put pot on medium heat, bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer slowly for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• After the cabbage has simmered for 10 minutes, remove from heat, uncover, and add the corned beef over the cabbage, pour the crushed tomatoes over evenly, then spread the mustard evenly over the crushed tomatoes, mixing together slightly.
• Cover pot and put in preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender. 

Recipe: Best Baked Beans

'Tis the season for hearty comfort foods, and what says comfort better than baked beans? This is an easy recipe that is sooo good. If you want it healthier, omit some of the sugar, and cook your own beans - it's easy!

Best Baked Beans
(Serves 6-8.)

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 pound center-cut thick bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon brown mustard

15 oz dark kidney beans, drained (or 1 cup dry kidney beans - cooked & drained)

15 oz butter beans, drained (or 1 cup dry butter beans - cooked & drained)
30 oz pork and beans, undrained

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Sauté onion in olive oil over medium high heat until it starts to soften. 
• Add 1 pound center-cut bacon and cook until crispy. With a vented spoon, remove bacon and onions from pan and place on folded paper towels. Blot with extra paper towels to remove as excess fat.
• Add ketchup, sugar, brown sugar, white vinegar and mustard to a large oven-proof dish. 
• Add drained kidney and butter beans along with undrained pork and beans. 
• Add bacon and onions to bean mixture. Stir well to combine. 
• Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes.

When Canned Foods Can Do - Modern Help For One Pot Meals

Since most of us nowadays grew up with canned food, we have to remind ourselves sometimes that canned food hasn't always been available in every grocery store. Once upon a time, the method of canning food was used primarily at home to preserve a season's harvest. Since refrigeration and freezing were not commonplace, canning was a homemaker's best way to ensure a table filled with nutritious food throughout the year.

Of course, things have changed, and just like other fast moving changes in society, canned food had a few bumps along the road to the grocer's shelves. Some of the earliest mass-produced canned foods weren't exactly what the homemaker expected or wanted. Even though there was no denying that opening a can of kernel corn was faster and easier than cutting kernels off an ear of corn, the results were less than satisfactory.

Preserved food. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, through years of perfecting the process and understanding the need for better nutritional value, canned food companies have built a reputation for better quality. Most canned food manufacturers now pride themselves in getting their product from the field to the can in the shortest time possible and with the best quality.

While canned foods might not be as healthy as fresh, they remain a good way to preserve summer foods for the winter, and to help prepare a meal quickly. Here at Cooking From Scratch, we prefer not to rely on canned foods, but there is no doubt it is certainly handy to have a few cans in the pantry! Here are a few tips for using convenient canned foods in your cooking, while keeping it on the healthy side.

Use Canned Foods to Accent Your Cooking

Some ingredients either take a long time to prepare from scratch (e.g. beans), or are simply not readily available in fresh form where you live (e.g. clams). In these cases, it certainly is nice (and usually fairly affordable) to have a few cans stocked in the pantry for a quick, healthy, and delicious meal. For example, a can of clams and a can of corn can be combined with some diced onions, spices, and whole milk for a quick and tasty clam chowder.

If you have canned black beans, diced tomatoes, whole kernel corn, and green chilies, you have a good, quick, spicy filling for burritos. Just warm up some tortillas and dinner is ready! Or cook some rice, and mix it all together for Spanish rice. For a fancier meal, stuff this mixture in some red or green bell peppers, sprinkle with cheese, and bake.

And canned tuna is always great to have on hand for a quick and healthy lunch!

(One note: while canned soups can seem like a really convenient food to have on hand, we usually opt not to use them (and don't recommend you do), as they are often full of extra salt, sugar, and unhealthy ingredients.)

An unopened can of canned fish. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Add Canned for Convenience

When you're cooking a meal and you realize you haven't got a fresh ingredient on hand, you may want to reach for a can when you want to cut out preparation steps but still have a hearty dish. Canned beans and canned tomatoes are great examples, and they can save the day when it comes to a quick dinner idea at the end of a long day.

Make spaghetti sauce faster - and still healthier than jarred sauce - by using seasoned canned tomatoes. The built in seasoning cuts prep time in the kitchen, and with your own additions of various veggies, it can still taste home-made.

Complete the Meal With Canned

The finishing touch to your chicken tortilla soup or bowl of chili could be a spoonful of canned green chilies. Perhaps you are serving a fresh spinach salad - top it with canned albacore tuna for added protein.

Crunchy coleslaw will benefit from the added texture, color, and flavor of canned kidney beans. Even sardines can be an added flavor for foods. Smash them up along with mustard and cream cheese and add to your Deviled Egg recipe for a flavor (and protein) boost. Yogurt is healthy, but you can buy (or make) plain yogurt and avoid all the additives - then add a spoonful of jam on top and stir it up for a quick breakfast. Jam is also quite easy to make, yourself, so buy berries on sale in the summer, and can it for the winter!

These are just a few ideas for using canned goods in your from-scratch cooking. Having some basic canned items stocked in your pantry can really help out when you need to cook a meal in a jiffy, and you can still have a home-cooked meal that's a lot better (and better for you!) than something from a box. Having a good selection of basic canned goods at the ready is a great way to make mealtime less chaotic, and still really delicious!

Recipe: Minute Minestrone

While nothing can beat the taste of real, home-made minestrone made from scratch with loads of fresh summer vegetables, if you're in a hurry, this stand-in version can be ready in a jiffy! For a tasty, healthy, one-pot meal that is on the table in minutes, this is a great alternative when you're hungry and pressed for time.

Minute Minestrone
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1 can (48 oz) chicken broth
1 cup tomato-vegetable juice (such as V-8, or fresh-made if you have a juicer)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (14 oz) cut green Italian style beans, drained
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:

• In a large pot over medium heat, put the olive oil and onion and cook until the onion is just softened, then add the garlic and cook just until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the seasoning, chicken broth, tomato juice, and red wine vinegar and cook until heated thoroughly.
• Turn heat to low and add the remaining ingredients. Slightly cover pot and simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve immediately in big bowls with bread if desired, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe: Asian Inspired Beef Pot

This makes a great almost one-pot meal (you will need to cook the rice separately), and if you like Asian flavors, this one's got you covered! Plenty of veggies, paired with beef and sweet, spicy, and salty tones, make a great meal that will satisfy your taste buds and fill you up fast.

Asian Inspired Beef Pot
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb grass-fed beef, cut into very thin strips
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 green bell pepper, cut in thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut in thin strips
1 celery stalk, cut into thin strips
1 onion, cut in thin strips
4 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
4 oz fresh snow peas
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp pineapple juice
1 tsp fresh grated ginger root
1 garlic clove, grated
Hot cooked rice for serving

Directions:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, add oil and beef (in small batches) and cook quickly until beef is browned; remove as the strips cook to keep from overcrowding the pot.
• With pot still over medium-high heat, add the green pepper, red pepper, and the celery, and cook quickly until just softened slightly.
• Then add the onion, mushrooms, snow peas, and water chestnuts and cook until onion softens slightly.
• Add beef back into pot and stir to combine.
• With heat still on medium-high, stir in the remaining ingredients, quickly combining all ingredients with the sauce.
• Turn heat down to low and let ingredients cook together for about 3 to 5 minutes, very slowly.
• Serve hot over rice.

No Recipe? No Worries! Cook One Pot Meals From the Pantry

We've all been there. We find a great recipe for a one pot meal and plan to make it for dinner. Then, the day gets busy and dinnertime arrives and we didn't make it to the grocery store. Or, we get to the grocery store and forget the recipe or the grocery list. Even if we guess the ingredients, inevitably we arrive home without some crucial element for that particular dish.

The solution may be simply removing the recipe from your plans.... Of course, this goes against every meal planning procedure you've ever learned! Meal planning starts with finding the recipe, right? Well, that works great - until it doesn't work....

One pot meal recipes are typically chosen because they save time. When you rely on specific recipes to make your one pot meals, you also rely on having everything you need. When time is short, or your day gets chaotic, that becomes a problem. Removing the recipes from the planning can help.

How do you remove the recipes from the planning? You stock the basics. Cooking a one pot meal can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. For real time savings, stick to the simplest strategy and fill your kitchen with the basics. Let's take a look at how you can stock your kitchen to have the makings of a one pot meal, with or without a recipe.

Protein

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Buy chicken, beef, pork, sausage, seafood, etc. in any variety you like. Clean, trim, and cut these proteins up in bite size pieces so they thaw fast and cook fast. Bag them in good freezer bags or containers in individual recipe portions, typically 1 to 2 pounds will work for most recipes. Now you can reach in the freezer for a one pot meal inspiration.

Fill your pantry with good canned tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab meat, and other protein that your family likes. It doesn't hurt to have some canned chicken and ham on hand, either. When you're trying to make dinner in minutes instead of hours, having a canned protein on hand can help get a tasty meal on the table fast.

Canned beans, peas, and lentils are another way to easily build a protein rich meal in a hurry. Choose a wide variety of products. Don't over-think what you buy to have on hand. It's amazing how an unfamiliar type of bean can inspire a completely new dish that your family will end up loving, and requesting over and over! Of course you can use beans, peas, and lentils as the protein source alone, or mix them in dishes with meats and seafood.

Nuts and nut butters, like peanut butter, are also excellent sources of protein. Think about Thai food and the inspiration for a one pot meal will become clearer. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of a dish for extra crunch. Just keep an open mind and you'll find uses for this often-overlooked form of protein.

Eggs should not be overlooked, either. There are many popular dishes in all kinds of cultures that call for the addition of eggs. Some dishes may call for the egg to be beaten and drizzled in, like egg drop soup or fried rice. Other dishes may call for hard-boiled eggs to be placed on top of a dish. When you look at your ingredients, take a moment to think about whether an egg would enhance the flavors.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Produce

Keeping fresh fruits and vegetables on hand for quick meals might be a challenge. Perhaps, you can stock your kitchen with a bag of onions and potatoes, but when it comes to anything further than that, it gets a little more difficult. That's where canned, frozen, and dried may be your best bet.

Begin by stocking up on as many easy to keep vegetables and fruits as you can. Go ahead and grab a bag of onions and potatoes and keep them handy. If you have a cool spot for apples, stock up if you can. Any other root vegetables that keep longer, like rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and even cabbage can be a good investment, but only if you have a place they will keep fresh for a while.

However, it's my experience that in order to spring into one pot meal action at the end of a busy day, you really need to have some 'grab and go' produce on hand. That means canned and frozen varieties. You will be surprised to find out how many of the fruits and vegetables you're used to cooking with are available either canned or frozen, or both.

Give some of these choices a try. A bag of frozen diced onions can be a real time saver. You'll even find combination 'basics' to use, such as frozen green pepper, celery, onion combinations.  A bag of frozen potatoes, any variety, can help speed up dinner, too. If you want convenience and class, a box of frozen pearl onions can really dress up a dish.

Have canned or frozen fruit on hand to add a kick to recipes that you have become bored with. Just think about what a can of pineapple will do for that pot of beautifully browned pork. Choose canned fruit in its own juices and you have some built-in liquid for the pot, too.

Grain

Brown rice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This category is very broad. It includes pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, and everything in between. Grains (and seeds) added to your pantry should include a good variety. You want standard fare, such as spaghetti and macaroni pasta, but you also want to expand your choices.

Add brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta, steel cut oats, buckwheat, and other grains and seeds to your collection. Stock all sorts of shapes and flavors of pasta. You never know were the inspiration for a meal might come from. If you have large shell shaped pasta, for instance, you may decide to turn your one pot meal into a seafood extravaganza. If you have wild rice on hand, you may want to go a little wild with lots and lots of mushrooms, beef, and nuts added for crunch.

To shorten cooking time, have these ingredients already cooked and in the refrigerator or freezer. Rice and quinoa are especially easy to freeze. If you cook pasta ahead of time, drizzle some olive oil over the pasta before you put in a container in the refrigerator. This will keep the pasta from sticking to itself.

Spices (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seasonings

Snipping fresh herbs from your garden would be ideal, but that just is not in the plans for many of us. Buy a small variety of herbs and spices that you use often, and make your own seasoning mixes as needed. You will save money, and avoid the additives and preservatives that often come in the pre-packaged kinds.

Depending on what types of foods you often cook, choose dried herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley and rosemary (or grow your own fresh herbs - these are easy to grow in pots on a window sill!). Choose common spices such as ground cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder. If you like Asian or Indian food, curry powder is usually easy to find and inexpensive. Add some crushed red pepper, black pepper, and sea salt to your pantry, and you'll be able to season any dish with pizazz!

You're ready to cook!

That just about covers everything you'll need to create a one pot meal without having to rely on a recipe. Of course you'll be adding some sort of liquid and perhaps a thickener or binder, but once you get these basic ingredients in the pot, the rest is gravy, so to speak. Have fun and get creative and you'll have a delicious one pot meal on the table without even glancing at a recipe!

Recipe: Fettucine With Lemony Asparagus & Salmon Sauce

This is another great recipe to use with fresh, home-made pasta. Fettucine is one of the easiest pastas to make at home - with or without a pasta machine. This simple recipe combines fresh asparagus with lemon and salmon, for a light-tasting but hearty meal with lots of flavor.

Fettucine With Lemony Asparagus And Salmon Sauce
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

Fresh fettucine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 lb. pkg uncooked fettuccine
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut with angle into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 lemon zested and juiced, in separate bowls
1 cup light cream
1 lemon cut into thin wedges
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 skinless wild-caught salmon fillet, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of water to boiling and add 2 teaspoons salt, then add fettuccine, bring back to a boil, reduce heat and cook 3 minutes less than time directed on package, then add asparagus and cook 2 more minutes; Put colander in large bowl and drain spaghetti/asparagus through colander, reserving liquid; set aside.
• Into small bowl, put the lemon zest, add the cream, stirring to combine.
• Into another small bowl, squeeze the lemon juice.
• In the pot spaghetti was cooked in, add oil and salmon pieces, cooking over medium heat until salmon just turns opaque, about 4 or 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add to the pot with salmon the pasta/asparagus, cream/zest mixture, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
• Over medium heat, cook a couple more minutes, until pasta is tender, but still al dente.
• If mixture seems too dry, ladle in a bit of the reserved pasta water, stir until sauce coats the pasta well, but doesn't get watery. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and toss.
• Serve hot in pasta bowls with lemon wedges and more Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe: Basil Lemon Linguine With Cannellini

This simple and fresh-tasting dish lets the flavor of the pasta shine through, so it's a great recipe to use if you want to try out that home-made pasta you just made. Basil, olive oil, lemon, and Parmesan cheese give this a classic Italian flavor, while the beans add protein and texture. You can stretch this a bit more, and make it even healthier, by adding another can of beans.

Basil Lemon Linguine With Cannellini
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 (1 lb) box uncooked linguine (or 1 lb fresh pasta)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained well (or 1-2 cups of cooked & drained dry white beans)
1 lemon
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed tight in cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
reserved pasta cooking water
fresh grated Parmesan for serving

Directions:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until just tender, not over cooked.
• Add beans to pot just before draining, stir, then drain pasta and beans into a colander over a pot to reserve cooking liquid.
• When linguine is totally drained, dump it with the beans into the cooking pot, cover and keep warm.
• While you're cooking the pasta, put a small skillet on the stove over medium heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Over the skillet, zest the whole lemon, cooking and stirring in the olive oil, about 1 minute, until fragrant and just turning golden in color; remove from heat.
• Into a food processor or blender, scrape the cooked lemon zest, oil and all, and the basil.
• Then juice all the lemon and pour the juice into the food processor, plus the salt and pepper.
• Now turn the food processor on and process until smooth.
• Start adding the reserved pasta liquid into the food processor, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing, adding, processing, until you have your desired consistency. (You may use around 1/2 cup of reserved liquid for this process, more or less.)
• When you have your basil sauce ready, pour into the hot linguine/bean mixture and toss until coated well.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Tips for Making Pasta At Home

Have you ever had pasta at a restaurant and thought; “Is this what pasta is supposed to be like? It's so tender and light. It's so good!”  You don't have to go to a restaurant every time you want good pasta.  You can have the same experience in your own kitchen.  All it takes is some time and a few simple ingredients and you can create pasta that is far superior to anything you will ever buy in a box.

Home made pasta. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I can almost feel your panic right now, but you needn't be afraid.  Before you run and hide, vowing never to try making your own pasta, let's examine the truth about making pasta at home. Then you can decide for yourself if you want to try your hand at making pasta at home, or continue giving that restaurant your money.

The Benefits of Home-made Pasta

The ingredients used to make pasta are very inexpensive. Some oil, salt, water, flour, and eggs are about all you need to make a fantastic basic pasta. You can tweak the ingredients that you use to make your pasta taste exactly how you like it. Experiment with different flavors and fillings and come up with your own signature pastas, perhaps varieties you will never find in your typical grocery store. Another benefit you may not have thought of is that homemade pasta has a better ability to hold sauce. Yes, sauce does stick better to homemade pasta.

Time is Money

While making your own pasta at home can be less expensive than buying a box of pasta at the store, there is a time-money trade off to consider. To make simple egg noodles, it takes about forty-five minutes to create from scratch. The more difficult the pasta creations get, your time can actually creep up to about an hour and a half. While it may be a little cheaper to make your own pasta, you may find that it's not cheap enough to justify spending an hour or more on it. In other words, the cost savings don't amount to enough of a reason to make pasta at home, especially the more complicated your pasta becomes. So, make pasta at home for the superior taste and the fun, not the money savings.

Pasta making (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How Hard Can it Be... Really

Making pasta isn't hard, but it does take time and patience. The most difficult part of making your own pasta is the kneading and the rolling. That is, unless you own a stand-mixer and a pasta rolling machine. With these appliances, making your own pasta becomes a lot easier. If you don't have either of these machines, figure about ten to fifteen minutes for kneading the dough and another fifteen for rolling the dough out until it's thin enough to cut. That process may be alright in the beginning, but once you're hooked on homemade pasta, you'll want to give your hands, arms, shoulders, and back a rest by investing in the right tools.

Best Bang for Your Buck

Of course, having a pasta machine would make life easier if you plan to make your own pasta at home. When considering which machine to buy, take a hint from the restaurant business and check out the brands they use. Most manufacturers will make home pasta machines as well as industrial styles.  I suggest avoiding the all-in-one machines for your home kitchen. Instead, make the dough separately and buy a machine that will help you roll out and cut the pasta. But, you can always go with a good old rolling pin if you decide to stick with the cheapest method, and it will get easier and faster with time.

Making your own pasta will give you a far better end product, there is no doubt about that.  The packaged pasta just doesn't hold a candle.  Sure, making pasta at home may take time and a bit of practice, but once you crank out those first noodles and cook them up, the feeling of satisfaction, not to mention the taste, is well worth the effort.