Feeling good about pasta

For many people who are looking to eat healthier, lose weight, or are simply following the latest diet fad, one of the first things they think they need to do is cut out pasta. Yummy, yummy pasta. The glutenous deliciousness that is part of so many of our favorite dishes - lasagna; macaroni and cheese; spaghetti and meatballs...the choices are endless. What a shame to think you can't eat these if you are trying to make a change to your dietary habits. Yes, pasta is calorically dense - the amount of calories ONE cup of cooked pasta (which is 2 servings) is the equivalent to the amount of calories in roughly SEVEN cups of steamed broccoli (7 servings). That's a lot of broccoli. And honestly, not that much pasta. At your typical restaurant, they will serve you at least 2-3 times the appropriate serving. So what's a health conscious eater to do? Take matters into your own hands. 

REMEMBER: THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A BAD FOOD! Its all about how much and how often you are eating foods that really counts. And for me personally, if you tell me I can't have something, I can't stop thinking about it until I've eaten the whole thing. Yuck. So the trick, when it comes to pasta, is to bulk the dish up with something that doesn't have very many calories. Something that has TONS of vitamins and minerals. Something delicious. What could it be? VEGETABLES! For instance, when I make macaroni and cheese, its not JUST mac & cheese...it's BROCCOLI mac & cheese...and the broccoli definitely out-weighs the noodles. 

Tonight, it was all about the orzo. We were having grilled salmon and asparagus, and my husband wanted a starchy side to go along with the grilled food. He requested orzo, so I decided to take it to the next level. First, I cut up a whole vidalia onion (my favorite - sweet and savory all at the same time), sauteed it, and then added a whole box (10-12 oz?) of frozen chopped spinach, which I had defrosted. Some heirloom cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, and a sprinkling of feta cheese turned our orzo into a delicious Greek veggie dish (with some pasta). A little went a long way, and left us feeling satisfied. 

In case anyone that knows me is wondering, NO, I did not use regular orzo. Whole Foods carries a Gluten-Free Orzo made of corn and rice, which is pretty delicious. The recipe I made will last us a few nights, which goes along with my "cook once, eat twice" philosophy. Who has time to cook every day? When you are going to cook pasta, however, always look for ways to bulk up your dish with different vegetables - you will end up taking in less calories per serving size, feel more full (veggies have fiber after all!) and get more vitamins and minerals - win win. Plus I think its just more fun. What veggies do you like to add into pasta dishes?

Greek Spinach Orzo
Makes 4-6 main dishes, 6-8 side dishes

Ingredients:
1 box orzo (I used DeLallo Gluten Free Orzo)
1 box chopped frozen spinach, defrosted
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
1 sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
juice of 1 lemon
salt to season

Directions:
1. Cook orzo according to directions on box.
2. Meanwhile, saute chopped onion in olive oil for 3-5 minutes, until cooked through. 
3. Add defrosted frozen chopped spinach, mix together, saute for another 3 minutes.
4. Add halved cherry tomatoes, mix together, saute for another 3 minutes.
5. Add cooked orzo to your cooked veggies.
6. Add crumbled feta cheese, juice of 1 lemon, and salt to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined. 
ENJOY!

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
Calories 222
Total Fat 4.8 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1,6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 6.3 g
Sodium 141 mg
Potassium 290 mg
Total Carbohydrate 39 g
Dietary Fiber 3.5 g
Sugars  g
Protein 5.9 g
Vitamin A	155 %
Vitamin C	13.5 %
Calcium	15.4 %
Iron	9.6 %