2 Pepper Mushroom Ragu with Kale

 

Well, another week in the weight loss program and I lost another pound.  Okay, not monumental by any means, but in this case, I truly believe that slow and steady wins the race.  I didn't gain it overnight.  Enough said.

I have been exercising religiously five days a week.  On the weekends, we are so busy between shopping  and chores, I hardly get to sit down until dinner time.  But during the week, I am doing HIIT (High Impact Interval Training  - 20 -30 minutes) with resistance training on those days.

On alternating days I am doing Jillian Michael's "Yoga Meltdown," which I just love.   I am using her "Fast Fix Kickboxing," too as 3 of the HIIT routines.  That DVD is great.  Since I have previous knee injuries, I find kickboxing works for me.  You have to find a routine that works for you.

On the WW program, one of the things that I am learning is how much I deluded myself into thinking my recipes were  "healthy."  Now I think I was headed down the right street.   I never used a lot of salt.   I tried to load my dishes up with fiber, and I do love my veggies.  But there is always room for improvement.  Such is the case with my Mushroom Ragu. 

This is a mushroom ragu "redoux" - kinda.  The recipe is updated and it's healthier than my old version(s) too, which you can find under "vegetarian" meals.  A couple of people asked me to add the labels back in as it's easier to find favorite recipes.  So I did.

 This recipe comes in at  8 points per serving if you are following Weight Watchers (according to their online calculator).  But this is your entire dinner.  The veggies are in there!  It's great for busy days or days when you want or had a splurge and you need to go a little lighter, yet you want something that will "fill you up." 

If you are following the "Simply Filling" program like I am - you will find that certain brands of pasta are considered to be "Power Foods."  That means you do not have to count them in your weekly indulgences.

I will explain to you in another post why I am opting for "Simply Filling" over counting points.

Grated cheese is optional.  But remember to watch what kind of cheese you add as that can make a difference if you are counting points. 

And remember, the pasta is optional, too.  You could serve this over Polenta or even barley.

Note:  This is almost vegetarian as it does include anchovy paste.  You can swap that out for salt or another seasoning if you don't want it in there. 

As a bonus, it's a one dish recipe; perfect for week nights.   Substituting fresh garlic is perfectly okay.  I love fresh garlic, but I had this on hand tonight.  I like the way the garlic paste "melts" in with the anchovy paste. 

Okay - enough chit chat -

Serves 4.
 

Ingredients:

	1 cup(s) fresh portabella mushroom(s), chopped
	1 cup(s) fresh white mushroom(s) - steak cut or thick cut
	1 tbs. light olive oil 1 tbs. garlic paste 1 oz. anchovy paste (can be omitted and replaced with 1 tbs. low sodium soy sauce) Pinch of crushed red pepper, more to taste 1/2 large  Jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced 1 scallion, diced (white, light green and dark green parts, divided) 1 tbs. capers, drained and lightly chopped 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes with juice, drained and reserved 1 tbs. good quality red wine vinegar (such as Cabernet Sauvignon) 1 tsp. Italian Medley no salt seasoning blend (I used Mrs. Dash) Squirt of lemon juice 2 cups frozen kale 8 oz. dry whole grain spaghetti  Chopped fresh mint for garnish, optional Directions: Chop mushrooms into bite sized pieces.  Coat a cast iron pan or a heavy skillet with the light olive oil.  Add the garlic and the anchovy paste(s).  Stir to blend the paste(s) into the oil.  Once combined, add the pinch of crushed red pepper.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes, but be careful that the garlic doesn't burn (it will turn bitter). Stir in the mushrooms and the  Jalapeño.  Brown the mushrooms until golden. Add in the scallion (white and light green parts only).  Cook for one minute. Add in capers.  Cook for one minute. Add the canned tomatoes.  Reserve the juice.  Cook for one minute.  (See a pattern here?  ;.) Add in the vinegar, the seasoning blend, lemon juice and half of the tomato juice.  Stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about five minutes until the sauce thickens.  If the sauce goes too quickly, you can thin it out with more of the reserved tomato juice. Under cook pasta by about one minute per package directions.   Turn the drained pasta into the mushroom sauce and toss.    Top with fresh mint and green parts of the scallion.   Serve immediately.  TIP:  Mushrooms soak up a lot of oil quickly. If you feel like you need more and want to keep this light, I suggest using a little olive oil cooking spray. See you soon!      Product(s) mentioned are not an endorsement.  No product was supplied to blogger.