Today I ventured to the downtown farmer’s market, the Littly Italy Mercato, with my friend Jackie. I just love it there. You can find everything from fruits and veggies to freshly baked bread, homemade dips, locally made cheese and olive oil. Sure, it’s a bit more expensive than the apples you’d get at some food store, but I think it’s well worth it. Because unlike a lot of the food people buy and have no idea where it’s coming from (besides the “Product of Chile or ___” label), behind all the food at the farmer’s market, there’s a story. You meet the people that make the products, and a lot of the stuff there is organic. Today I met a guy who started a homemade granola company, and another who has his own peanut butter spread line (both of which are so delicious!). I adore the market for the same reason I love restaurants where the owner is running around in the middle of the dinner rush to greet the customers – they have passion and a real sense of enthusiasm for the food they make. I suppose that’s something a foodie like myself appreciates 🙂
Although I had just gone to my nearby farmer’s market a few days ago and wasn’t really in need of any produce, I couldn’t help but make a few purchases. Jackie and I were saying how we really would like to make the downtown farmer’s market a weekly trip!
Walking around the market and taking Harley for a long walk was the extent of my exercise today. It was a much needed rest my sore muscles & ice my calf day!
Now moving along to recipes…
I have a big weakness for Italian food. Give me pasta, bread, olive oil, wine, and cheese and I’m a happy girl. However, what I don’t like is all of the calories and fat that some Italian recipes bring. I’m a fan of fettuccine alfredo, but I only like it if it’s not too heavy. After I eat I like to feel satisfied, not stuffed. Out of curiosity, I just looked up the nutrition facts for Italian chain Olive Garden’s (not a fan) fettuccine alfredo. The dinner portion contains 1,220 calories and 75 grams of fat, with 47 of them saturated fat. That’s about how many calories I eat in a day. And 75 grams of fat!! Gross.
Last night I wanted to make fettuccine with a hint of an alfredo-like sauce. Traditional alfredo is made with a lot of heavy cream, but I nixed that and made up my own sauce with a bit of cream cheese, milk, and parmesan. I included spinach and tomato to add some produce and nutrients to the meal, and it satisfied my craving without all the guilt.
Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo
Serves 1
- 3 oz of dry fettuccine (Barilla)
- 1 medium Roma tomato, chopped
- A large handful of raw spinach, coarsely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 TBSP white cooking wine
- 1 TBSP light cream cheese
- 2 TBSP Pecorino Romano cheese (Locatelli)
- 1/4 cup milk (whatever kind of milk you like works – I used Almond Breeze vanilla almond milk)
- Salt & pepper
Boil a pot of water, then cook pasta according to directions.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Warm cooking wine in skillet, then add garlic. Cook until lightly browned, then add tomatoes.
After tomatoes have cooked and softened a bit (around 3-4 minutes), add spinach and cook just until wilted.
Next pour the milk, cream cheese and 1 TBSP of Pecorino Romano into the skillet. Stirring frequently, let the mixture cook for a few minutes until the sauce is fully combined.
When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
Put pasta back in the pot, then add the spinach/tomatoes/sauce mix in. Stir in salt and pepper to taste and the remaining Pecorino Romano. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of the cooking water to adjust consistency.
Nutrition stats: 450 calories, 10 g fat, 16 g protein, 71 g carbs
For dinner tonight, I knew I wanted to incorporate one of my produce purchases. I came up with a tasty light meal using some of my arugula.
Garlicky Tomatoes, Ricotta & Arugula Toast
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread (Nature’s Own)
- 1 medium Roma tomato
- 1/4 cup light ricotta cheese (Sargento)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- About a cup of arugula
- 1/2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP white cooking wine
- Around 1/2 TSP grated lemon peel
- Salt & pepper
Warm cooking wine in a skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook for just about a minute, then add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until softened.
Meanwhile, throw bread into the toaster until browned. Combine lemon peel, salt, pepper, and ricotta in a bowl. When toast is done, spread the ricotta mixture on top.
Next, layer the arugula over the ricotta. Sprinkle the olive oil over the arugula, then add the garlicky tomatoes chunks on top.
Facts: 280 calories, 13 g fat, 15 g protein, 30 g carbs
I think this tomato/arugula/ricotta mixture would be great on crostini or little baguette slices as an appetizer. Yum.
Off to relax the rest of my night!
Sweet Sarah says
Reading these recipes made me hungry! Gotta pin them for later – maybe even dinner tonight! 🙂
-Sarah
http://www.sweetandsavorylife.com
http://www.facebook.com/sweetandsavorylife
foodielovesfitness says
Thanks Sarah! Hope you try some of em out 🙂