As the February month of cold and snow creeps forward I find myself wanting to eat poorly. This comes not only from the cold months triggering the body toward fat reserves to just plain cravings of chocolate for upcoming Valentine’s Day. Although I do eat chocolate regularly; I will save my recipes for that toward the coming special day.
When I do indulge in a comfort food I love to eat carbs. I am not a big fan of eating simple carbs however and will almost always try to eat whole wheat or other grains instead of white flour. The insulin hit I get is just not worth spending the next three days trying to get back into glucose balance. I try to make this a treat instead of a regular habit and tonight that’s exactly what’s for supper.
So enjoy my selection and feel free to tweak the recipe to suit your pantry and tastes.
You'll notice that I made the garlic bread with real garlic; this is awesome for the immune system and I will never use anything else.
Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and homemade Garlic Bread
One package of whole wheat angel hair pasta
2lbs of organic hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jar of organic spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ tsp oregano
½ thyme
Bolognese Sauce
In a large saucepan cook the hamburger in the olive oil until brown, add onion, pepper and cook until veggies are soft. Add the sauce and water, turn up until boiling stirring constantly. After 3 minutes turn down to a simmer. In the meantime heat 4 quarts of water in a large stock pot with 3 Tbsp of sea salt. Cook the sauce for approximately 25 to 30 minutes; add more water if needed; stirring occasionally. Add spices the last 3 minutes of cooking. Turn off heat and set aside.
Add the spaghetti; in my case whole wheat organic to the boiling water. Cook spaghetti approx. 9 min or until al dente. Drain water and place in a large serving bowl and pour sauce on top.
This makes approximately 6 servings
Calorie count 320 calories per serving
Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
6 cups of whole wheat organic flour approximately
¼ cup of olive oil
1 cup of lukewarm water
2 pkg of yeast
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup of honey
4 eggs
Heat oven to 375 F
In a mixer bowl put the water, honey and yeast. Let sit for one minute; this allows the yeast to grow and will allow you to find out if your yeast is still good or not. If the yeast is old or not active it will not foam and fluff up in the water. With the dough hook attachment add the eggs and beat well. Add ½ of the flour and mix thoroughly. Add the oil and the rest of the flour and the salt.
Turn out on a floured surface and knead the bread for several minutes; adding more flour as necessary to reach a firm, smooth dough. Put into a large glass bowl that’s been oiled. Cover lightly with a clean dish towel or piece of waxed paper. Set the bowl in a warm area of the kitchen that is free of drafts. This is because a cold draft will cause the yeast to not grow and the dough won’t rise properly.
Let rise for about 1 hour and punch down the mixture that should have doubled in size. Turn out onto the work surface and form into a desired shape. Dribble more oil or melted butter on top and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Place into the warmed oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You know the bread is done if you thump it and it makes a hollow sound. Take out of the oven and let cool.
To make garlic bread mix ¼ cup of organic butter (no substitute butter!) and 1 garlic clove that’s been finely minced. Spread on slices of bread and eat or toast briefly in oven to get a crisp edge.
Calorie count 140 calories per serving
I usually make a wonderful big tossed salad and serve a nice bottle of wine with this meal……enjoy!
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