Saturday, September 11, 2010

So Fiber-licious


I'm kind of a fiber fanatic. I'm one of those strange individuals who actually seeks out ways to incorporate more fiber into a meal. Throw some toasted pumpkin seeds on top of that! Add a few tablespoons of flaxseed! Let's puree some prunes to add to those brownies!

What can I say? My cooking is fiber-lickin' good.

Consequently, with the exception of desserts (which are my first love in the food world), nothing brings a smile to my face more than walking through the door after a long day at work, and finding my husband preparing a fresh, fiber-licious dinner. Lucky for me, tonight was one of those nights.

Tonight's delightful pasta dish invites a variety of flavors you might find odd at first glance. I certainly did. Glancing at the recipe, I was skeptical of the unusual combinations: whole wheat pasta with lentils, artichokes, tomatoes, cumin, feta, and much more. Even the name sounds a bit confused: "Pasta, Lentils, and Artichoke Hearts." Thanks, but no thanks.

However, the Moosewood Collective's Low-Fat Favorites has never steered us wrong, and it certainly didn't with this recipe. I was blown away! This dish is so powerfully flavorful and wonderfully textured--it was truly a creative and ridiculously delicious pasta meal. It serves well as a one-dish dinner, as it's very filling and you'll have little room for much else.

So, tonight I salute my fiber-cooking husband and his unique pasta creation. My words of wisdom for today: Embrace fiber! She's fun, she's flavorful, and she just might be your new best friend.

Pasta, Lentils, and Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup dry red lentils (3 cups cooked)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2- 1/4 cups water
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 3 cups of canned tomatoes, drained (approximately 28 oz.)
  • 12 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, chopped (make sure you don't use the "marinated" artichoke hearts; just use the plain-in-water variety!)
  • 1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta
  • Salt and ground pepper, taste
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Optional: crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:

1) Combine lentils, water, and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; lower heat and simmer until water is mostly absorbed. Discard bay leaf.

2) Cook pasta according to package directions.

3) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender (approximately 5 minutes). Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, artichokes hearts, lemon juice, and salt, and pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the lentils, and simmer until the sauce reaches your desired consistency (we simmered ours for about 10 minutes. Cooking it longer would result in a thicker sauce).

4) Combine pasta with lentil-tomato mixture. Pour into individual serving bowls, and top with feta cheese and (if you like "hot stuff") crushed red pepper flakes.

4 comments:

  1. that is such a cute post! love it. i tried making the burger, it failed! i think its because i left it in the blender for too long. it turned into burger dip-like );

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  2. Hi Diana! Bean burgers can be tricky with texture, can't they? If you find it too dip-like and difficult to shape into a burger, you can always add dried bread crumbs (I'll add that to the post in case others run into similar issues). Have a great evening :)

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  3. Oh, that is an interesting recipe! Such a nice thing to come home to - good work to your husband!

    We should start a Moosewood cooking club. ;) I made another recipe from my book last night (gingered greens with tofu), and it's amazing!

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  4. Sounds totally awesome! I would love this! We eat a lot of fiber so I can totally relate to your fiber-liscious, fiber-lickin' foods. :)

    We're not vegetarian (although I used to be) but we eat a whole lot of veggies and legumes and just a little meat. We just like beans and vegetables better. :)

    Anyway, I need to start sprinkling flax seeds and pumpkin seeds in my salads and in pastas to make our diets even higher in fiber. That's a great idea! :)

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