Creamy Avocado Pasta

My lovely Daughter in law, who is an avid pinterest recipe searcher, found this recipe for Creamy Avocado Pasta and shared it with me.  They have made it several times, and found it a yummy versatile healthier pasta sauce alternative.  The bonus is it only takes 15 minutes to prepare!

Creamy Avocado Pasata

from Anne's Kitchen!

1 Medium Avocado

Juice from 1/2 lemon (or you can use Lime Juice)

2-3 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup fresh basil

2 Tbs Olive Oil

Pepper to taste

Pasta of your choice

Heat your water and start your pasta cooking, while pasta cooks combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor (except pasta).  Season with pepper to taste, pour over cooked pasta, toss, serve immediately and enjoy!  

So there you have a pretty simple pasta sauce.  It is rich and creamy and a lovely avocado~y green color.  The basil in the recipe combined with the lemon juice gives it a fresh tangy flavor.  The avocado gives it the creaminess of an Alfredo type sauce, but only half the fat and calories.  

I did the nutritional work up of this recipe compared to a typical Fettuccini Alfredo and listed them below.   I have always heard how good for you avocados are, but never really researched it myself....so I decided to do a bit of research for this post.  From the California Avocado Commission; Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.  The fat in avocados is mostly heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. In addition, clinical studies support the ability of avocado to lower cholesterol and fat in the blood.  There is quite a bit more information on the livestrong web site listed here.  So give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it!

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/500272-is-eating-avocado-good-for-you-when-you-have-high-cholesterol/#ixzz1vhIXRQvt

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving CREAMY AVOCADO PASTA
Calories:
563.6 kcal

Water128.58 gCarbohydrate (40%)56.92 gProtein (8%)11.1 gTotal Fat (52%)34.03 g   Monounsaturated22.31 g   Polyunsaturated4.36 g   Saturated6.03 gCholesterol226.13 gDietary Fibre7.51 gVitaminsVitamin A466.11 IUThiamin0.35 mgRiboflavin0.46 mgNiacin3.57 mgPantothenic acid2.15 mgVitamin B60.36 mgFolate155.36 mcgVitamin B120.51 mcgVitamin C13.1 mgVitamin E4.38 mg ATEMineralsCalcium50.48 mgIron3.49 mgMagnesium50.52 mgPhosphorus190.09 mgPotassium589.92 mgSodium94.58 mgZinc1.66 mgCopper0.32 mg

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving FETTUCCINI ALFREDO WITH REAL CREAM AND BUTTER

Calories:
1390.7 kcal

Water230.67 gCarbohydrate* (11%)37.12 gProtein (9%)30.23 gTotal Fat (80%)126.76 g   Monounsaturated35.78 g   Polyunsaturated5.21 g   Saturated78.31 gCholesterol469.29 mgDietary Fibre0 gAlcohol (0%)0 gVitaminsVitamin A4458 IUThiamin0.31 mgRiboflavin0.69 mgNiacin1.29 mgPantothenic acid1.03 mgVitamin B60.13 mgFolate88.35 mcgVitamin B121.77 mcgVitamin C1.43 mgVitamin E3.32 mg ATEMineralsCalcium723.12 mgIron1.83 mgMagnesium56.78 mgPhosphorus590.95 mgPotassium275.48 mgSodium1025.51 mgZinc3.16 mgCopper0.24 mg

Easy Spring Fruit Salad

This dish is so super easy, it really shouldn't be considered a recipe.  I am still on my quick and easy get dinner on the table because it's spring and we want to play outside kick!  So I wanted to add some fruit and color to the table and here is what I did.


Quick and Easy Pear Blueberry Salad


2 pears washed and sliced
1 cup blueberries frozen or fresh
2-3 Tbs. Honey


Place the sliced pears in a serving bowl, top with blueberries and drizzle all of it with the honey.  Serve... Tada, you have a lovely fruit salad that is easy peasy.

 We really love eating blueberries, right out of the freezer, or baked in blueberry muffins, or tossed in salad like in this recipe.  They are also (like the sweet potatoes from last week) a super food.  According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most Americans should increase the amount of fruit that they eat. Blueberries in particular may be good for you because of their high amount of fiber, anthocyanidins and vitamin C, and low number of calories. This applies to fresh blueberries without added sugars.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually recommend increasing your fruit intake to help you lose weight. A cup of raw blueberries has only 83 calories and no fat or cholesterol. A cup of blueberries provides 4 g dietary fiber, which makes you feel full so that you eat less at the next meal. If you substitute blueberries for higher calorie snacks, you can save calories and lose weight. This taken from Live Strong.com