I have been playing around with the idea of having more meatless meals at our house, and I thought the best way to discipline myself would be to incorporate this practice into my blog. It is my hope that I can keep doing meatless Monday meals for the next several weeks. Hopefully, move this into a regular part of my blog. This practice will be quite the challenge for me, but after watching Food Inc. the other night with Jeffrey I think it is a practice that will be beneficial to my family.
I don’t know if you have seen Food Inc. yet (I know I am a little behind the wagon on this one), but I would highly recommend watching it. I checked the movie out from the local library. I was appalled at the things I learned. I have read several books in the past year about how we eat and how we get our food (The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life) that have helped inform how our family eats. This movie has added a new dimension to my understanding. I don’t mean to be preachy about this, but I would suggest that we all try to be more responsible in what we buy and where we buy our food. I am by no means going vegetarian (I love my meat too much), but I will be making more informed decisions when purchasing in the future.
The good news is that eating good food doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor! I will get off my soapbox and share this delicious recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as Jeffrey and I did. I will be honest though and tell you that while we were eating it Jeffrey announced that it would be a delicious side to a grilled steak. I told him I was thinking the same thing. I would suggest serving it with a salad and warm bread and you can have a complete meal without steak. 🙂 I received this recipe from one of my friends and I was eager to share with her how much I loved it. So please keep the recipes coming….especially if you have some meatless meals.
Pasta with Asparagus
4-servings (This dish is pretty spicy so adjust the pepper accordingly. Personally, I really enjoyed it but it may be too spicy for young children.)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3-4 dashes Tabasco pepper sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (bend each stalk to see where the bottom will break off, and discard the bottom before cutting into the 1 1/2-inch pieces)
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. pasta of your choice, cooked and drained (I used penne.)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
In a skillet, cook garlic, red pepper flakes, and hot pepper sauce in oil and butter for 2-3 minutes. Add asparagus, salt and pepper; saute until asparagus is crisp-tender (about 8 minutes). Combine cooked pasta and asparagus mixture together. Add Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
My husband loved, even though I overcooked the pasta due to unexpected company. I found myself craving some chicken or shrimp with it. Still very nice.
Your recipes are wonderful Dinah.
Thanks again,
Karen Scantlin
I used one dash of tapatillo rather then tabasco. Was super easy and quick. I will probably add shrimp next time like Karen mentioned craving. I did add fresh spinach and if I had mushrooms would have added those as well. This will be a repeat dish in my home thanks.