It's "Tasty Tuesday", where every week we bring you new, fresh, local, healthy recipes and food tips. Find out what is in season, and what will keep you fuelled during and after your work outs!
Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!
I never really do much for Valentine's - it's always been treated as a "Shouldn't you love people every day of the year?!" type thing. But if you're looking for something low-key to do with your partner, friends, or kids - spend an evening making some healthy, homemade pasta!
The best part is that if you make a large enough batch, you can freeze more for another day during the week. More than one meal solved, and boy-howdy, does it taste SO MUCH better than store bought.
Make Your Meal Even Healthier Tip:
I chose to make this with spinach to add some greens to the mix, but you can basically use any cooked veggie in lieu of the spinach. Carrots will make it bright orange, and so will pumpkin puree. I'm eventually going to try my hand at making beet pasta, and red pepper pasta too - which will produce pink and red pasta - if you really want to get into the Valentine's Day mood.
Click through for recipe!...
Make 4-6 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/4 cup of 00 Flour
- 1 1/4 cup of Semolina Flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp evoo
- approx. 1/2 cup cooked spinach
- approx. 1/3 cup water
- extra flour for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS:
If using raw spinach, cook until it's wilted and then drain. If using frozen, thaw and drain.
Puree the spinach in a food processor with the 1/3 cup of water. You may need more water if the dough is too dry later, but start with this amount.
Mix the two flours together with the salt, and then dump in a pile on a clean workspace.
Make a well in the centre and then add the spinach mixture, oil, and a small amount of the water.
Begin to knead the dough, adding more water if it needs it to come together into a ball that is formed, but not sticky. (If too sticky, add more flour.)
Once the ball is formed, cover it in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 45mins.
If you have a pasta maker, roll out a portion of the dough on a floured workspace and then run through the pasta maker at it's largest setting. Fold it like an envelope and do it 2 more times, and then run through on the thinner settings, dusting it with more 00 Flour as needed, until desired thickness, then run through the cutting attachment of your choice (I did linguini here).
If you're doing it all by hand, after the dough is set, flour the workspace, and with a rolling pin, either roll out the dough until it is about 1/16 inch thick (too thin and it will break, too thick and it will be too chewy).
You can then, with a sharp knife, cut it into desired strands size, and make into nests (be sure to flour them so they don't stick together).
You can also dry the pasta on a rack (see below) for 20 minutes and then place in a sealed bag. You can also freeze the pasta at this point.
Anything fresh can be cooked (only needs a few minutes) and then served right away.
I'll definitely be making more recipes with this spinach pasta, so use this as a base!
ENJOY!
Let us know if you make this recipe by posting it on instagram or twitter and using the #LiveBarreLife hashtag! And if there are any specific meals, fruits, veggies, or meats, you'd like to see on the blog!
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photos and recipe by: Christine McAvoy
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