Surprisingly excellent summer linguine
June 11th, 2009
My quest for better eating began with a romp through macrobiotics. It was really interesting and an awesome way to learn about whole grains and the energetics of food.
However.
90% of the recipes I made really weren’t very good. At all. But I didn’t care because I was in that stage where I just wanted to start eating really clean. My body responded well for awhile so I thought it was worth it to eat bland food. But after awhile…man did I start to feel bland!
I should stop and say that there were some real gems in Jessica Porter’s The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics. But that was about it for tasty recipes I was making.
In general, I feel like healthy recipes often get a wink and a nod, “This is JUST like a hamburger!” or “It tastes just like cheese!” The truth is, a lot of healthy variations of recipes are not that good, especially when they are trying to mimic something else. Of course there are exceptions…most notably the recipe I’m bringing you today!
Linguine in Red Vegetable Sauce
adapted from Kripalu cookbook
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
4 diced carrots
1 bunch beets, greens separated and rinsed, beets scrubbed and diced
1 bay leaf
1 sheet kombu, broken into small pieces (a type of seaweed, optional, find in asian stores)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 Tbl. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. each dried oregano and dried thyme
2 Tbl. fresh basil, chopped
2 cups water
1 Tbl. umeboshi plue vinegar (find in asian stores, it’s delicious on salads too)
1 lb. whole wheat linguine
an additional 1 tsp. umeboshi vinegar
an additional 1-2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1. In a medium to large pot, combine broth, carrots, beets, beet greens, bay leaf, kombu, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer while you do the next steps.
2. In a separate smaller pot, heat oil and cook garlic and onion until translucent. And oregano, thyme, basil, vinegar and water and simmer.
3. In large pot, cook linguine in boiling water.
4. Your beets and carrots should be soft by now, so using the blender of your choice, blend the contents of this pot. (Immersion blender works great, or use a regular blender or food processor) It does not need to be perfectly smooth, chunky is good.
5. Combine beet mixture with onion/garlic mixture and mix well. Add the additional umeboshi vinegar. Stir.
6. Serve sauce over linguine, garnish with additional fresh basil.
(Tastes even better reheated the next day)
Not only is this sauce fabulous, it’s a perfect way to enjoy beets from the farmer’s market this time of year. And flavor? Oh yes. We’ve got flavor in this one folks. The extra fresh basil on the top makes all the difference so be generous with that. It’s not trying to taste like tomatoes but the sweetness of the beets and carrots work in very much the same way as a traditional sauce.
What are some healthy versions of recipes you’ve tried? Was it better or worse than the traditional recipe?
