He Cooked...so I Cleaned

The whole title of this blog post gives perfect lead into why I named my blog the way I named it.  I'm sure a lot of couples have this theory in the kitchen, then again, maybe not.  It has been our rule since moving in together.  I like the way it works because often we come home from the gym, one of us goes to shower while the other gets dinner started, once dinner is done the other gets to do the shower routine...and cleaning occurs AFTER the second showerer or that person gets mad...I'm just sayin' cold water is not fun!  Lately that gym time has been consummed by work or studying as we are both taking big exams within the next two months (wish us lots of luck!).

Dinner in action

 Before I left for New York three weeks ago, the Hubby had a recipe he wanted to try from his Men's Health Magazine.  We usually have good success with recipes we tear out of the Men's/Women's Health magazines so I was excited about the prospects.  This particular recipe sounded...interesting at first, tasted OK, and maybe, with more tweaking we'll try it again later.

Now more often than not our kitchen is I cook he cleans...so when he cooks he doesn't like to deviate from the recipe in front of him, and that is A-OK, he also had the defense that he likes to try a recipe the way it was intended before adding his touch/tastes to it...I can't argue with that but I do like to be creative when I get into the kitchen so tweak away I go...but again as I said, he cooked so I tried not to tweak his cooking. :)

OK so I'll stop beating around the bush and just share the recipe.  We had Greek Yogurt Alfredo Sauce with Whole Wheat Pasta, I requested that we also add peas and a chicken breast with it...and he agreed.  The sauce was pretty similar to a true Alfredo sauce BUUUUT I do think that it was pretty obvious we were trying to eat a healthier version of it...aka I like the fatty goodness the real Parmesan and cream make.

We picked a pretty good whole wheat pasta to go with the sauce, I think that since whole wheat pastas have become the big thing over the last few years their taste factor has definitely increased from cardboard to edible.  What do you think?

Well, there's not much else I can say about the recipe...it was three weeks ago that we had it, and I had a two-week trip to New York in between that, so without further ado, here is the recipe...

Rocco's (DiSpirito author of Now Eat This!) Fettuccine Alfredo
adapted from the April 2010 Men's Health Magazine, The Athlete's Palate

8 ounces whole wheat fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of ground nutmeg yep I have yet to stock nutmeg, whether ground or not in our spice cabinet
3/4 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup 5% Greek yogurt
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring pot of salted water to a boil.  Add fettuccine; cook according to package directions.  While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook two minutes.  Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth.  Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.  Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese until melted.  Remove pan from heat.  Whisk in yogurt until smooth.  Toss fettuccine with Alfredo sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top pasta with remaining cheese.  Serves four.

Calories per serving: 336 Carbs: 47 G Protein: 18 G Fat: 10 G



Yum! I'm hungry now!

Bon Appétit