Tag Archives: pasta

Basil Pasta

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This is a great “pesto” substitute if you don’t eat dairy.

The lemon gives the pasta a little “zing” that you’d typically get from the Parmesan cheese in regular pesto.

We skip the pine nuts, too, because I had a really bad experience many years ago where I lost my sense of taste for an entire week after eating some “bad” pine nuts!

Sure, you could add a different nut to make it more like pesto, but we enjoy it just fine like this.

Basil Pasta Recipe

Serves 4 (as an entree) – – or serves 6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed VERY tightly
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp unrefined salt
1/2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp raw honey
3 medium cloves garlic

16 ounces pasta of your choice (we prefer Trader Joe’s gluten-free rice pasta as shown below)

DIRECTIONS:

Toss everything (except the pasta) into a food processor or blender, and process until combined (stopping to scrape the sides a few times as needed).

Makes 3/4 cup – 1 cup of sauce. This sauce freezes well for later use, too, so feel free to make extra while you’ve got your blender dirty! šŸ™‚

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions; and drain/rinse.

I like to cook the Basil Sauce a bit before tossing it with the pasta. So, while the pasta is in the strainer, add the sauce to the empty pasta pan. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Then, add the pasta and toss to combine.

Enjoy! And be sure to check out our RECIPES PAGE for more delicious recipes!!!!

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Dairy-Free (& Nut-Free) Pesto

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(For more great recipes and all of the grocery shopping tips you need to ensure that you select the most additive-free versions of every ingredient you need to make hundreds of my recipes, check out my e-book ā€œEating Additive-Freeā€œ!

For this recipe, you’ll need:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (~ 4 ounces)
1/2 tspĀ sea salt
1/2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp raw honey
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
(12 oz. uncooked pasta, optional)

Toss everything into a food processor (except for the pasta!) and process until combined, stopping to scrape the sides a few times as needed.

Makes 3/4-1 cup of sauce. Freezes well for later use, so I make TONS of this when it’s basil season šŸ™‚

If using for a pasta dish, cookĀ 12 oz. pasta according to package directions. (We like the organic brown rice pasta varieties from Trader Joe’s.) Drain. Toss with pesto and serve!

(For more great recipes and all of the grocery shopping tips you need to ensure that you select the most additive-free versions of every ingredient you need to make hundreds of my recipes, check out my e-book ā€œEating Additive-Freeā€œ!

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ā€œFollowā€ our blog (in the upper left sidebar of this site), and weā€™ll send ya more great tips!

Best price on organic gluten-free RICE PASTA!

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This is, by FAR, the best price I’ve found on organic gluten-free rice pasta in Omaha, NE! The price at Trader Joe’s is just $1.99 for a 16-oz. package…and it’s certified organic! Prices are twice this high at many other stores…and for fewer ounces!

Spaghetti, penne and fusilliĀ are the only 3 shapes/varieties available at Trader Joe’s, but they contain just: “organic brown rice and water.”

How to Make ADDITIVE-FREE Grilled Chicken w/ Pasta

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This dinner is simple, tasty and won’t break the budget! See below for recipe and grocery selection tips….

Grilled, boneless/skinless chicken thighs – Sprinkle both sides of meatĀ with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Throw on the grill! Sometimes we add onion powder, too!

Don’t useĀ those pre-made grilling seasonings from the store – most are full of additives and mystery ingredients! Stick to whole, real herbs and spices. But still ….check the labels for surprise ingredients – for instance,Ā “garlic salt” often containsĀ much more than just garlic and salt!

For more great recipes and all of the grocery shopping tips you need to ensure that you select the most additive-free versions of all ingredients needed to make this recipe (and all of my recipes), check out my book “Eating Additive-Free“!

Make sure the chicken you buyĀ is free of any additives, solutions or broth! If there’s no ingredients label on the package…be sure to ASK the butcher….assume nothing!

Garlic butter noodles – Cook whole wheat angel hair pasta according to package directions (the only ingredient listed should be “whole wheat”). For every 8 ounces of noodles, you’ll need 1/2 stick butter and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. While noodles are draining in a strainer, melt butter in the pan and then stir in the garlic powder. Return noodles to the pan and toss to coat. Add sea salt and pepper, to taste. Yum! 8 ounces of pasta yields about 4 servings (as long as they’re not as huge as MY “serving” shown here). Ā šŸ™‚

Check the ingredients on your butter!! At most, theĀ ingredients should read, “cream (or “cultured cream”)Ā and salt.” Many varieties add “natural flavor,” especially if the butter is unsalted, so beware.Ā And, please tell me you’re not eating margarine!!!Ā That’s a whole other blog postĀ in itself!

Freshly sliced cucumber (or veggies of your choice). Actually, I’d recommend something more colorful like carrots, tomatoes or bell peppers to make the plate more interesting, but all I had on hand were cucumbers!

Give it a try and comment below to let me know how you like it!