Pasta, Risotto, and Rice (11 page)

Serves 4
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Prep time: 10 minutes
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Cooking time: 10 minutes

Black bean sauce is sold with the other Asian ingredients in the grocery store, and it’s an awesome addition to Asian-inspired dishes. It’s thick, rich, and hearty and boasts just enough salt to create a tasty dish. For even more flavor, feel free to add scallions, fresh garlic, and grated fresh ginger when you add the bok choy to the pan.

12 ounces Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chopped bok choy stalks and leaves

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup black bean sauce

¼ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bok choy and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the broth and black bean sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked noodles and the scallions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 384
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 82mg
Carbohydrate: 64g
Protein: 14g
Fiber: 3g
Sodium: 234mg

Soba Noodles with Shredded Nori and Wasabi Paste

Serves 4
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Prep time: 10 minutes
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Cooking time: 10 minutes

Don’t reserve nori for sushi night! Since the seaweed is sold in most grocery stores, you can find countless uses for it in your everyday cooking. I like how it adds the salty flavor of the sea to this spicy dish. I call for just 2 sheets of nori in this recipe, but when I make it, I use 8 to 10 sheets because I love the flavor so much. That might be too much for some palates, so you can decide how much to add.

12 ounces soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti

¼ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon wasabi paste, or more to taste

2 sheets nori seaweed, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips (using scissors is easiest)

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and transfer the noodles to a large bowl. Whisk together the mirin, soy sauce, and wasabi paste and add to the noodles, along with the nori. Stir until the nori wilts and the mixture is blended. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving warm or chilled.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 362
Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Carbohydrate: 65g
Protein: 14g
Fiber: 4g
Sodium: 740mg

Spiral Pasta with Tomatoes and Watercress Vinaigrette

Serves 4
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Prep time: 10 minutes
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Cooking time: 15 minutes

Fresh watercress has a fresh and strong peppery flavor that makes a terrific base for this vinaigrette. You can also add fresh garlic and white onion or shallots to the food processor before blending into a puree.

12 ounces spiral pasta

8 ounces watercress (about 2 bunches)

3 tablespoons garlic-flavored olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

3 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, immerse the watercress in a small pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and transfer the watercress to a food processor. Add the oil and vinegar and process until smooth and thick. Add the watercress vinaigrette to the pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 400
Fat: 12g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Carbohydrate: 62g
Protein: 12g
Fiber: 5g
Sodium: 36mg

Tuna Pasta Salad with Roasted Red Peppers

Serves 4
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Prep time: 10 minutes
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Cooking time: 10 minutes

I like the tuna sold in the pouch for this dish because you get bigger chunks of tuna fillet and not the shredded pieces. You can also use a cut-up tuna steak left over from the grill!

12 ounces spiral pasta

½ cup light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

8 ounces light tuna in water (preferably from the pouch, not the can)

1 cup diced roasted red peppers

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

Whisk together the mayonnaise and mustard and add to the pasta. Stir to coat. Fold in the tuna and roasted peppers. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 452
Fat: 12g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 27mg
Carbohydrate: 60g
Protein: 25g
Fiber: 3g
Sodium: 679mg

Pasta Spirals with Radishes and Yogurt

Serves 4
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Prep time: 5 minutes
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Cooking time: 15 minutes

I love the peppery flavor of radishes, and I especially like them paired with tangy yogurt and sweet honey mustard. This is a fun salad to serve chilled at a picnic or barbecue.

12 ounces spiral pasta

1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons garlic-flavored olive oil

1 tablespoon honey mustard

1 cup sliced radishes

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return the pasta to the pan.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, oil, and mustard. While the pasta is still warm, stir in the yogurt mixture and toss to coat. Fold in the radishes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving warm or chilled.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 393
Fat: 10g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 4mg
Carbohydrate: 62g
Protein: 13g
Fiber: 3g
Sodium: 75mg

Orzo with Herbed Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Serves 4
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Prep time: 10 minutes
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Cooking time: 10 minutes

Herbed goat cheese is sold next to the regular goat cheese, and you can find varieties with mixed dried herbs or cracked black pepper. You may substitute regular goat cheese for the herbed version and add your own fresh mixed herbs to the dish (parsley, basil, chives, and mint work really well).

12 ounces orzo

2 tablespoons garlic-flavored olive oil

½ cup diced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes