I was so pleasantly surprised by this meal. It would technically be my first dinner of my elimination diet, even though I’ve been whipping up a storm in the kitchen lately – throwing together bits and pieces as much as I can to stay prepped and on top of my meals.
Right from the jump I feared giving up gluten would be troublesome for me. I don’t typically consume a lot of carbs, but I was worried cutting the grain out entirely would be something I’d notice so greatly (Hint: I was wrong). So in preparation for this, I decided one of my first meals should be pasta. Pasta? Why? I have no idea why I wanted to go this route, to be honest, because I am not a huge pasta-eater anyway. I love a good donut, and will admit that pretty much any kind of bread is the shiz, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I ate pasta. Oy vey…
So anyway, I decided to find a quinoa based noodle, and stir it up quick with some veggies. On one major positive note, it was a super quick and easy recipe, and it seemed to keep for much longer as a leftover option than your average pasta would.
I simply brought the pasta itself to a boil with a little bit of garlic sea-salt, meanwhile grilling some vegetables court-side in a mix of olive oil and the same seasoning. Once the past was done, I drained it and added it to the skillet with the veggies. Finally, I topped the whole mixture with a puree made from red peppers, cauliflower, and mushrooms covered in a splash of olive oil and water. It turned into a deliciously thick sauce, thanks to my roomie’s bullet, and even though I was eating 90% vegetables and 10% quinoa, I felt unexpectedly full and satisfied.
When re-heating the pasta a day later, I decided to add a little meat to it by just tossing in some plain grilled chicken. It was good, just as an added source of protein, but totally not necessary. I actually really appreciated how this quick meal could be a rainy day solution for a vegetarian or paleo option!
Quinoa Pasta & Veggies W/Red Pepper Sauce
Pasta: 1 lb Quinoa Pasta (Try this brand available at Whole Foods!)
1/4 C Mushrooms
1/4 C Zucchini
1/4 C Summer Squash
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Garlic Sea Salt for flavoring
Sauce: 1/4 C Mushrooms
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 C Cauliflower
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 C Water
[…] diet planning this year! You can find lots of daily/weekly meal logs, and recipes such as simple pasta and veggies, and a turkey meatball and kale sauté from my previous experiences. The key to an easy and […]