Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Lemon Garlic Pasta

Pasta and I have been good friends for a very, very long time. (See Exhibit A: my ever-expanding waistline). In fact, I'm so in love with pasta that one of my uncles has been calling me "Noodles" since I was around 11 or 12 years old. (Back then, my favorite meal to make was a gigantic tower of spinach-flavored spaghetti, slathered with butter and garlic salt - eh.)

Despite my remaining affection for the nickname Noodles, I do like to think that my pasta tastes have matured a bit since I was little. These days, I tend to stick to a handful of my favorite sauces (aglio e olio & pesto) and types of pasta (penne & spaghetti). However, I do like to throw something new into the mix occasionally, just to keep things interesting.


So, in the name of trying something different, and in keeping with my Pantry Challenge (using stuff that I already have on hand), I decided to whip up some pasta. My priority was to conserve as many ingredients as possible - so I wouldn't be tempted into shopping any time soon - which meant that sticking to a pre-printed recipe was probably the best idea. (Sometimes I tend to get a little bit carried away.) Thus, I decided to flip through "Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan" for some inspiration.

Hmmm...

Lemons? Check.
Garlic? Check.
Pasta? Check.

Yep, it was almost that easy (though I do have to admit that pg. 130 was already "flagged" - that's the first thing I like to do when I get a new cookbook). Either way, before I knew it, I was on my way to creating a surprisingly simple, tasty meal - ED&BV's Lemon Garlic Pasta.

The end result was a light and almost summery tasting meal. The pasta was citrus-y, a bit creamy (thanks to the addition of the pasta-cooking water), and just garlic-y enough. Plus, even CH - who's very anti-lemon - liked it. Awesome.

Recipe: Lemon Garlic Pasta
(recipe from "Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan")

3/4 lb. dry spaghetti
1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 - 3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 1/2 - 4 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1.) Cook pasta according to package directions.
2.) Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt, agave nectar, mustard, & oil (starting with 3 1/2 Tbsp.). Set aside.
3.) When pasta is almost done, remove 1 c. of pasta water & reserve.
4.) Drain pasta (do not rinse!), return to pot, & toss with lemon dressing, toasted nuts, & parsley.
5.) If pasta seems too dry, add some pasta water, 1 Tbsp. at a time.
6.) Season to taste, adding extra olive oil & salt & pepper, if desired.

(Email, Print, or Text this Recipe)

Can you find the baby parsley butterfly?

13 comments:

  1. Pfft. Pasta make your waistline expand? No way! Growing up I used to eat it 3 times daily, so I can relate to your situation. I would honestly ask my mother to cook me pasta for breakfast, which I would later take with me for lunch also... she reminds me of this almost on a daily basis. How embarrassing.

    I love this recipe, it's so simple. Just pasta with garlic and olive oil is enough to satisfy cravings, but I love Dreena's addition of lemon juice, it gives it just what it needs. =)

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  2. Mmmmm my ever expanding waistline adores pasta too. This sounds delicious!

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  3. Oooo, I have all those ingredients at home! And unlike CH, I adore lemons. I can (and sometimes do) eat pasta 3-4 times a week. I would never have survived on one of those low-carb diets. No way! Life is too short not to carb load every once in a while, heh.

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  4. I keep meaning to make this, especially because I have 3 beautiful meyer lemons in my fruit bowl at the moment. :)

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  5. Haha! Noodle was my college nickname (hence my screen name).

    The great thing about noodles is that something so simple can taste sooooo good!

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  6. That looks so good...I think I'm making pasta for dinner now!!

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  7. YUM! I always here about herby lemony pastas, and finally someone posted one that is not in a cookbook! Mm!

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  8. ooo! lemon and garlic! that looks fantastic! how darling is it that your nickname is noodles?! that sounds so much better than "errorita" ;)

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  9. This is SO delicious. I have linked to it from my pasta post. Hope you don't mind.

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  10. Love the idea of combining Dijon with garlic and lemon juice!!!!Looks fantastic!
    I'm with Romina on the waistline :). My dieting friends always warned me but the expanding part never seemed to happen!

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  11. Hello, I like your picture and I would like to use it for a brochure I'm writing. Let me know. kimamato@gmail.com.

    Thanks,
    Kim Amato

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  12. yum! this look amazing!

    and about the magazines..i know..it's reAlly hard! lol
    mags are like my friends too hahaha
    i am considering not to subscribe anymore to more mags..and let them lapse too... [this will be so hard.lol] for the same as u..saves me money and better for the planet..i recycle my magazines when I don't want them anymore though..but yeah :)

    If we lived near each other we could make some kind of interchange of magazines! haha x)

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