Straw and Hay Fettuccine Tangle with Spring Asparagus Puree

Another great recipe from Heidi Swanson. I’ve been wanting to make this one for about a year and was so glad I did. I cut down on the cheese and oil considerably and left out the pine nuts. I think by doing this, you could taste the fresh spinach and asparagus so much more, which made it great, but not rich.

The folate-rich asparagus and spinach puree can be made ahead of time; store it in the refrigerator in a jar topped with a layer of olive oil.

Ingredients:

Spring Asparagus Puree:

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed and halved crosswise

3 handfuls baby spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic

¼ Ccup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

1 Tablespoon cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping

Juice of ½ lemon

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

4 ounces dried spinach fettuccine, or 6 ounces fresh

4 ounces dried egg fettuccine, or 6 ounces fresh

Directions:

Bring two pots of water to a rolling boil, one large and one medium. You’ll use the large one to cook the pasta and the medium one to blanch the asparagus.To make the asparagus puree, salt the asparagus water and drop the spears into the pot. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spears are bright green and barely tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor (preferably) or a blender. Add the spinach, garlic, and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Puree and, with the motor running, drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil until a paste forms. It should be the loose consistency of pesto; if too thick, thin it with a bit of the pasta water. Add the lemon juice and salt, then taste and adjust the seasoning.Salt the pasta water well and cook the pasta until just tender; you’ll need less time for fresh pasta, more for dried. Drain and toss immediately with 1 cup of the asparagus puree, stirring in more afterward depending on how heavily coated you like your pasta. Serve sprinkled with a dusting of Parmesan, and a quick drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. I added a couple of sprigs of fresh basil.

Serves 4 to 6.

5 points per serving (for 4 servings total)

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel
This recipe recently popped up on 101Cookbooks.com and inspired me to host a Mediterranean Potluck with my friends. I’ve made a couple of different falafel dishes and this is by far my favorite. The texture is creamy and they aren’t lacking moisture despite being baked. It’s super easy (but requires a bit of time) and it my new fav dish! Plus it’s gluten free!
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes (orange inside), around 700g or 1 1/2 pounds in total
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
a scant cup (120g) gram /chickpea flour
a splash of olive oil
a sprinkling of sesame seedssalt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425F degrees (220C) and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, then peel.
Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and gram/chickpea flour into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet. You can add a tablespoon or so more of chickpea flour if necessary (the water content of sweet potatoes varies enormously).
Reheat the oven to 400F/200C. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) or a falafel scoop if you have one, make the mixture into falafelly looking things and put them on an oiled tray. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown.
Makes about 16-18 falafel, enough for 4 - 6.
This came to one point per falafel.