Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

Okay, these are the worst pictures ever, but this was a tasty dish!  If you want to see some quality pictures of this dish, and not ones I took with my iPhone one night after a hurried dinner prep, head on over to Gimme Some Oven to see Ali’s pics.

Nothing like some comfort food on a cold winter night!  For this dish, I used fresh spinach and regular fettuccine from Giovanni Rana pasta.  I received a variety of pastas and sauces from Giovanni Rana to try out.  We are big fans of carbs around here, so there was no trouble getting through that box pretty quick!  They have a number of great filled pastas. We especially liked the prosciutto filled ravioli, the and filled ravioli, along with this spinach fettuccine.  I wasn’t a huge fan of their pesto and marinara sauces, but sauces are a hard one to please everybody with, especially the store-bought variety.  They do make this Parmigiano Reggiano sauce that I’d like to try though.

These pastas have recently made their US debut, and have opened a production facility in nearby Bartlett, IL.  You can find out where they sell the products near you on their web page.

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo, adapted from Gimme Some Oven

  • 12 ounces fettuccine
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup low-fat milk (I used 2%)
  • 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • (optional topping: chopped fresh parsley)

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, in generously salted water.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.

Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Reduce heat to medium-low until pasta reaches al dente.

Drain pasta, then immediately add pasta to the saute pan with alfredo sauce. Toss to combine. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

*I received a complimentary sample pack of Giovanni Rana pastas and sauces to review.  I did not receive any compensation for this post.  Opinions expressed here are my own.

 

 

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Fresh Cranberry Muffins

fresh cranberry muffins

I love recipes that use fresh cranberries instead of dried.  Love that tartness of the fresh, and it cuts down on a ton of sugar!  This recipe is easily doubled, and these muffins freeze really well too.  Although if you’re preggers like me, you’ll about three in one sitting and won’t have any leftover to freeze.  Even better, they’re only 175 calories!

Fresh Cranberry Muffins, makes 12 muffins
adapted from Cooking Light

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in cranberries; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, orange zest, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray or baking cups. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

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Pomegranate Lime Coolers

IMG_3984

This cocktail is appropriately festive for this time of year.  It can be enjoyed with or without alcohol, and doubled or tripled to fit your crowd size.  It’s really refreshing and using limes, mint and pomegranate seeds for garnish will really dress it up for the holidays!

I used this Arctic Chill stainless steel cocktail muddler for this drink.  I think that the rubber bottom worked a lot better than the back of a wooden spoon, which had been my go-to muddling method until I got a proper one!  This muddler did a MUCH better job of blending everything together so that you really got the flavor of the mint.  Plus, the fact that it is stainless steel and rubber makes it very easy to clean.

Pomegranate Lime Coolers, makes 2

  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1 cup club soda
  • 2 springs mint
  • 1 Tablespoon simple syrup
  • 2 ounces vodka, optional

Divide mint, lime juice and simple syrup between two glasses.  Muddle.  Add 1/2 cup pomegranate juice and 1 oz of vodka (if using) to each glass.  Top with approximately 1/2 cup club soda in each glass.  Stir well.

IMG_3987*I was contacted by Arctic Chill and sent this Arctic Chill Cocktail Muddler to review.  All opinions are my own.

 

 

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