2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
10 ounces frozen spinach, pressed to drain well 
2 (5 ounce) cans Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, quartered lengthwise 
8 ounces linguini
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese for grating

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring occasionally, and cook until the pasta is al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large sauté pan with the olive oil, sliced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden. Add the capers and spinach and sauté for an additional 30 seconds. 
3. Add the tuna, with the packed olive oil to the pan. Combine the ingredients gently, breaking up large pieces of tuna. Reduce the heat to low and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta into the skillet. Add the chopped parsley and ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. With the pan over low heat, gently toss the pasta with tongs to coat the pasta evenly. Add additional pasta water if necessary. Serve immediately with Parmesan on the side.

Serves 6

​Gremolata is a traditional Italian herb paste that is a simple combination of five ingredients: parsley, garlic, lemon, Parmesan, and extra virgin olive oil. With its bright, citrusy flavor, gremolata transforms ho-hum recipes into amazing dishes! Here I’ve combined gremolata with thinly sliced potatoes and roasted them to create a tasty side dish. It’s simple, delicious, and gorgeous!  
Low-carb trick-prepare and cook the stacked potatoes one day ahead and refrigerate. The refrigeration changes the structure of the starches in the potatoes to make them "resistant starches". Resistant starches have a reduced absorption rate in our bodies and helps to keep our insulin low. Learn more about this amazing phenomenon RESISTANT STARCH
 
½ cup loosely packed chopped flat-leaf parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
2 small minced garlic cloves
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pinch pepper, freshly ground
8-10 Yukon Gold potatoes
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 standard muffin cups generously with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the gremolata, combine the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan, oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl and set aside. 

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly (about ⅛ of an inch) using a sharp knife or mandolin. Add the potato slices to the gremolata and toss to coat. I use my hands to be sure to coat the potatoes evenly. Stack the potatoes to fill each muffin cup over the rim by about ½ inch. Press the stacked potatoes down firmly. Bake until the tops and edges of the potatoes are browned and the centers are tender when pierced with a fork, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Cut around each stack with a sharp knife and remove them with a spoon. Serve hot. These can be made one to two days in advance and reheated, covered, in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.  

Traditionally prepared polenta is amazing, but it takes lots of stirring and time. If you are looking for a quicker, less labor intensive method for making polenta, baking it in the oven is a nice alternative. Please, never, ever, ever, ever buy pre-made polenta in a package. It is an awful substitute for homemade. I won't say anything more about that. 

1 cup polenta
4 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tbs unsalted butter (or more if you like)         
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
kosher salt and ground pepper 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, hot water, and salt in a 8X8 pan or other 2 quart baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the liquid is almost absorbed and the polenta is creamy when stirred. Remove from the oven. 
2. Stir in the butter and the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   Serve hot or refrigerate for later use.

Polenta Serving Notes:

• If you’d like a firm polenta for grilling, frying, or as an hors d’oeurves leave the polenta in the serving dish until the polenta is firm and cool, about 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  When firm, turn polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, triangles, or use a cookie cutter and cut into shapes.  
• To Grill: Brush polenta pieces with olive oil.  Grill as desired.
• To Fry: Heat butter in a sauté pan and fry pieces until light brown on both sides.  Serve hot.

Makes 6-8 servings

1 pound soba noodles, cooked and drained (follow the package directions)
4 scallions, chopped
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded and sliced thinly or 1 bag frozen sliced peppers, thawed
2-3 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
3 Tbs toasted sesame oil
 
 

1. Place the cooked noodles, veggies, and cilantro in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil together in a small bowl.
3. Pour the sauce over the soba noodles and veggies and toss to coat.  This can be served warm or cold.

Substitutes and additions:

• Use whole grain thin spaghetti or brown rice instead of soba noodles.
• Add shredded chicken, cooked shrimp, or tofu for more protein.  

Preparing dinner often takes a back burner to all the other activities that  prevent us from making the time to prepare a healthy meal at home.   If you have attended one of my cooking programs you know how much I stress the importance of cooking at home.  When you prepare your meals at home you know what is in each dish; adding healthier ingredients and keeping salt and sugar in check.  To support your cooking efforts you also need to consider what to keep on hand in your pantry so you can rely on last minute recipes when needed.  Consider that your pantry is not only your dry pantry but should also include your freezer and your refrigerator.  What do you have in your pantry?

This recipe was created with ingredients from my pantry...give it a try!

Serves 6

Sausage and Tomato Sauce

3 Italian sausages
2 Tbs. olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, slivered
1 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
Pinch of crushed red pepper
2 Tbs fresh basil, sliced thinly
¼ cup flat leafed parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating

1.    Boil the sausages in water until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Slice each sausage in half lengthwise.

2.    Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat with the oil.  When hot, place the sausages into the pan in a single layer, cut side down.  Cook until browned.   

3.    Add the slivered garlic.  Sauté for 1 minute. 

4.    Add the the basil, crushed re pepper, and diced tomatoes with their juice to the sausages.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer while preparing the polenta.

5.    Just before serving add the chopped parsley to the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

6.    Serve hot over polenta with freshly grated Parmesan.

Baked Polenta

1 cup polenta
2 cups hot water
2 cups milk, hot (2% or whole milk)
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tbs unsalted butter (or more if you like)           
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
kosher salt and ground pepper

 
1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, hot water, hot milk, and salt in a 8X8 glass pan or other 2 quart baking dish. Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until the liquid is almost absorbed and the polenta is creamy when stirred. 

2.    Stir in the butter and the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with sausage and tomato sauce.