Fusilli with Turkey & Fresh Tomatoes®

Pasta with protein and fresh veggies is a great meal to give you TONS of energy for a busy day.

Today, I prepared Fusilli pasta, al dente with turkey meat, fresh boiled tomatoes, garlic, and spices.

The flavors are complex within it's simplicity. I began by boiling 3 tomatoes so it would be easier to remove the skin and place them into the Sautee pan.

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Ingredients:

3-4 cloves of freshly chopped garlic

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of grounded black pepper

1 teaspoon of onion powder

100 mg of deli turkey meat

3 fresh tomatoes (boiled and de-stemmed)

1 can of tomato sauce

Instructions:

After I boiled the tomatoes, I used the same water to make the pasta. In the Sautee pan I began with 4 cloves of garlic and olive oil. I let that heat up, stirring it a few times until the wonderful smell of garlic took over the ktichen. I then added the spices (oregano, parsley, black pepper, a bit of sea salt, and onion powder.) I stirred the spices and garlic a bit and let it cook at medium high heat for about 3 minutes. After that, I added the fresh tomatoes and chopped up turkey deli meat (about 100mg.) Just the crisp noise the pan makes when you drop in the tomatoes, is exciting enough to make you jump with joy.

After sauteeing the tomatoes, garlic, and spices for about 7 to 10 minutes, I added a full can of tomato sauce with 1/2 cup of water. I stirred everything together and let it cook for another 8 minutes until the fresh tomatoes melted into the sauce.

Combine the sauce with the drained pasta and add any type of garnish for appearance and there ya go! Fusilli pasta with Turkey meat and Tomatoes.

Hungry Man's Diet

For every hungry man or woman out there that's trying to watch their figure, here's the Hungry Man's Diet dish.

I call it this because it's high protein, good fat, small carbs and greens. This will get you going for a night jog...hell even a sprint ;).

On the toasted bread I prepared live pate' with goat's cheese (add a bit of parsley for garnish.) Then I fried up an egg in olive oil (of course) and placed it on a river of warm tomato sauce. To accompany our protein and light carb meal, I added arugula dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar with a touch of salt and black pepper for that kick.

Now you can change this dish up with different types of salad or add a hard boiled egg instead of a fried one but the key is to have your greens, protein, good fat and light carbs for dinner. This dish will surely give you high energy while quenching that hungry monster in the smelleee bellyyyyy!

Have a good jog!

Enjoy!

Grilled Asparagus in an Alioli Lemon Sauce

This is a fabulous appetizer for when you have guests coming over. It's quick to prepare but yet looks super exotic.

Just start by placing the cleaned Asparagus onto a warm pan (medium) with no oil. Leave the Asparagus on the pan for about 1 minute until they start to burn a bit. Then you will want to drizzle a slight amount of olive oil horizontally onto the veggies. Add a sprinkle of sea/rock salt on top and just shift them around every few moments.

Cooking the Asparagus should take no longer than 5 to 7 minutes.

Ok now to the sauce. The Alioli Sauce can be made from scratch or by enhancing a store brought one. Since I am currently living in Spain, the alioli sauce here is to die for, so all I did was buy a fresh jar of it and added salt, 4 lemons, and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a bowl and stirred it for about 4 minutes ferociously. When done add parsley to the dish and place the hot Asparagus right on top. Garnish the plate with one of the lemon wedges you used and Tadaaaaaa: another great dish!

Enjoy!

Tortellini Carbonara

Everyone loves Tortellinis; stuffed with spinach, ham, or cheese. However you like it, Tortellinis are perfect for stuffing. Now listen, pasta is always better made from scratch and so are the sauces. But if you don't have the time, it's always a good substitute to buy a packaged tortellini meal and boil it for about 8 to 10 minutes. Don't boil it longer because it will come apart. The sauce is simply made with butter, cold milk, and cheese. You can buy the pre-made powdered cheese but real cheese is always better ;).

Preparing the tortellinis are simple as 1,2,3. The challenge is in preparing the Carbonara sauce. You need to heat up a small pot and place the extremely cold milk along with about 2 tablespoons of fresh butter and cheese (cow's milk is the best for this sauce), and stir, stir, and stir. Keep stirring while the sauce cooks. It'll take about 5 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken and when this happens you can lower the heat and stir until you get the consistency you desire.

Drain the Tortellinis and drop in the Carbonara sauce nice and hot. Use a small spoon to toss everything together so that you don't accidentally tear the pasta with any sharp edges. Top it all off with fresh parsley (home grown garden parsley is phenomenal) and Voila!!!

Enjoy!

Mussels in white wine broth wih Spaghetti Pomodoro

Ok now, these are great mussels. Simmered in a white wine sauce, the sweetness of the broth will make you want to eat it like a soup. This is a great and easy meal prepared in 5 minutes. Did I mention cheap too? It can cost just a few bucks. So, if you want to impress someone with your culinary skills whilst not spending an arm and a leg, mussels in a white wine broth is the way to go.

Along with the mussels, I prepared a Spaghetti dish in a red sauce with grilled asparagus. This is a great compliment due to the differences in taste with the mussels. The sweet and buttery taste that combines in your mouth will leave you wanting more.

Enjoy this great mediterranean dish at any time of the year!
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Ingredients to Mussels:

1 kg of Fresh Mussels ( Feeds 1 to 2 people)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of rock salt
3 gloves of garlic
1 small onion
1 teaspoon of fresh parsley
3/4 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of water
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Instructions:

Step 1: Start simmering the chopped garlic, onion, and olive oil in a big pot.

Step 2: Once the oil is heated and it starts smelling delish, you will add the parsley to the pot.

Step 3: Create a bit of steam by adding 1/2 cup of water and bring to slight boil. Then you will want to throw in your cleaned and shucked mussels into the pot. Stir constantly.

Step 4: After steaming the mussels for about 3 to 5 minutes, pour in 3/4 cup of white wine. Stir constantly until the mussels have opened up and the white wine has turned into a buttery type broth.

Step 5: Serve in a bowl and enjoy. Remember, slightly opened mussels are NO GOOD.