Asparagus and Cauliflower Penne 10 March, 2011

How do you make your pasta healthy? Add vegetables. How do you make your pasta unhealthy? Eat 5 cups. I love pasta, and I eat it all the time. People are always harping on the refined carbohydrates, but personally I enjoy white pasta. Brown pasta compared to white pasta has more fibre. It's important to get enough fibre in your diet, and brown pasta can help contribute to your daily intake. But, if your like myself, and you don't like brown pasta, eat your fibre as fruits, vegetables, cereal, granola bars, oatmeal, and whole wheat bread. Notice how I upped my fibre intake in this meal by adding asparagus and cauliflower. I also increased my calcium intake by using 1% milk and cheese for the cream sauce. Notice the serving size? One cup of pasta and one cup of vegetables. It is so easy to overeat on pasta, or so I've seen. I have some friends who can pound back 4 cups of pasta in one serving. I think this is physically impossible for me - I eat one cup and I am full. If you can eat 4 cups of pasta in one serving, you are likely suffering from overeating syndrome. You need to refrain yourself and retrain your stomach. Portion your food before eating. If your still hungry, drink a huge glass of water. If that doesn't work, leave the table and go occupy yourself.


Things to Avoid

1. Taking Seconds. Wrap it up and put it in the fridge. I am pretty sure we aren't expecting a famine anytime soon.

2. If your full, don't clean your plate. Yes mom, I know there are starving kids in Africa, but how am I supposed to ship my leftovers to them, wont they go bad?.

3. Don't be a victim of peer pressure or bullying. I know your cute grandma can be tough when she demands you eat that second piece of pie, but no means no damn it!

ASPARAGUS AND CAULIFLOWER PENNE
4 servings

Ingredients
2 cups dry penne pasta
1/2 cauliflower
15 spear of asparagus
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup of half and half cream
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta until al dente.

2. While pasta if boiling steam the asparagus and cauliflower.

3. While the pasta is cooking and the vegetables are steaming, place a small saucepan on medium heat and bring the milk and cream to a boil. Whisk in the flour, pesto, wine, and cheese.

Tip - don't just dump the flour into the hot milk. You need to make a slurry. This means, add the flour to a bit of cold water and stir. Then add the slurry to the sauce. This will help prevent lumps.

4. When the sauce is thick, toss all of the ingredients in a bowl and top with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.