My dear friend Tikka was married this past August. No, that's not her name, and no, she's not Indian. Anyway, her new husband took the mic before their reception and gave a really lovely speech about how lucky he is to have a chick who looks hot in yoga clothes and could whip up a mean pasta dish with a can of sardines. I became very distracted and dreamy about the sardine pasta.
When Papi does the grocery shopping, I never know what kind of surprise I'm in for. Sometimes it's a bad surprise, like sad-looking tomatoes. Other times, it's a good one, like a 40 oz. of Miller High Life. Or two cans of sardines.
I indulged him in eating one can with a loaf of bread, and hid the other in anticipation of this quick and easy pasta dish. Seriously tasty, and seriously cheap - about $1per serving. Not bad from a nutrition perspective either - fiber, protein, omega-3's and lycopene are all invited to the table.
Pasta Alla Tikka
Ingredients:
1 Box Angel Hair pasta (I prefer Barilla, if it's on sale)
Splash of extra virgin olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 15.5 oz. can Canellini Beans, rinsed
Handful of sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into 1/3 in. pieces
Small jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 3.75 oz. can of Sardines (packed in oil)
1 heaping tbsp. capers
Sea Salt (once over the pan, plus more for pasta water)
Black Pepper, to taste
Dried Parsley, to taste
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
Shredded or grated parmesan
Bring pasta water to boil. 8 cups should do the job.
Meanwhile, sautee garlic and olive oil over medium heat. Watch so that the garlic doesn't burn. Add sardines. Mash the sardines with a wooden spoon. It will be pretty crumbly and giving to just a bit of pressure. Next, add artichokes with their marinating liquid. Stir gently; reduce heat. Add beans and seasonings, to taste. Finally, gently stir in slices of sundried tomato and capers. If sauce seems a little too thick, add some of the pasta water.
Cook pasta for no more than 4 minutes. Angel hair cooks really, really quickly - blink and you'll have a mushy mess.
Drain pasta and return to the same pot. Toss with sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve immediately.
Serves 8.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Movin' On Up...Far Up
It seems like just yesterday, I was a relatively well-to-do 20-something living on the Upper East Side. With the fancy Food Emporium Bridge Market and a high quality liquor store both a stone's throw away (not to mention take-out options up the wazoo), my tastebuds wanted for nothing.
Here I am two years later on a student budget, and living in the Bronx. I traded in my cushy cosmetics job to pursue the two greatest loves of my life full time - fitness and food.
Living in the Bronx has its perks. Namely, a larger kitchen and less expensive groceries. And the beautiful man who lets me live in his pre-war apartment.
Oftentimes, I'm frustrated by my surroundings, namely when it comes to health and food habits.
Fact: The Bronx is the least healthy borough in all of NY State. Not just the city, but the entire state. The Bronx is also relatively poor. You can check the stats if you're interested. All I know is that I'm in the small percentage of shoppers at my local C-Town who doesn't shop with an EBT card.
Back to my frustration. I've seen it all up here, folks. 2 year-olds eating Big Macs in their strollers. Fitness center vending machines full of candy bars and soda. People using their EBT cards to buy carts full of cookies and Hungry Man dinners. Others using that same card to buy beer and cigarettes at the bodega (illegal, but no one's coming up here to check on all that).
Fact 2: Yours truly is a little bit of a hothead. It takes all my will not to throw vegetables at people, purge their carts of Little Debbies and launch into a diatribe about diabetes and heart disease. I'll save some of that for after I become an RD. Ah, the power of credentials.
Until then, the least I can do is inform people of some healthy, cheap ways to shop and cook for a home-cooked meal. We're not talking carb-free, gluten-free, or anything else overly exclusive. Just some good stuff you can feel good about serving your family of 2 or 4 whether you're here in my hood or out in...Nebraska or someplace.
I'm feeling extra inspired this week after reading the following from Mark Bittman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=mark%20bittman&st=ycse
Plus, I've been on a kick with some really tasty meals for under ten bucks.
Enjoy!!!
Here I am two years later on a student budget, and living in the Bronx. I traded in my cushy cosmetics job to pursue the two greatest loves of my life full time - fitness and food.
Living in the Bronx has its perks. Namely, a larger kitchen and less expensive groceries. And the beautiful man who lets me live in his pre-war apartment.
Oftentimes, I'm frustrated by my surroundings, namely when it comes to health and food habits.
Fact: The Bronx is the least healthy borough in all of NY State. Not just the city, but the entire state. The Bronx is also relatively poor. You can check the stats if you're interested. All I know is that I'm in the small percentage of shoppers at my local C-Town who doesn't shop with an EBT card.
Back to my frustration. I've seen it all up here, folks. 2 year-olds eating Big Macs in their strollers. Fitness center vending machines full of candy bars and soda. People using their EBT cards to buy carts full of cookies and Hungry Man dinners. Others using that same card to buy beer and cigarettes at the bodega (illegal, but no one's coming up here to check on all that).
Fact 2: Yours truly is a little bit of a hothead. It takes all my will not to throw vegetables at people, purge their carts of Little Debbies and launch into a diatribe about diabetes and heart disease. I'll save some of that for after I become an RD. Ah, the power of credentials.
Until then, the least I can do is inform people of some healthy, cheap ways to shop and cook for a home-cooked meal. We're not talking carb-free, gluten-free, or anything else overly exclusive. Just some good stuff you can feel good about serving your family of 2 or 4 whether you're here in my hood or out in...Nebraska or someplace.
I'm feeling extra inspired this week after reading the following from Mark Bittman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=mark%20bittman&st=ycse
Plus, I've been on a kick with some really tasty meals for under ten bucks.
Enjoy!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)