HEALTHY AND EASY FALL SALAD

We are what we eat! Everything we eat and drink directly affects our cells. We know that two-thirds of our plate should be vegetables and fruit, with the remaining one-third covered by lean protein (lentils, beans, chicken, fish) and whole grains.
Autumn has arrived in Italy but at the same time, the heat of this strange November makes me abandon the soups for fresh salads. I love salad and this is my Autumn Salad.

Ingredients:

• a lettuce
• 1 cup of pinto beans (borlotti)
• 2 pomegranates
• 10 walnuts
• cider vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• toasted wholemeal bread
• paprika, curcuma and pepper

This recipe is really easy, just shelling the pomegranate and on my facebook page you can find a post where you see how to do it easily https://www.facebook.com/ciboformafisicasalute/?ref=hl , add pinto beans, nuts and cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, spices and serve with toasted wholemeal bread.
Enjoy your meal!

For beans
Soak the beans the night before (for at least 12 hours, remember that pre-soaking is really important), cover beans with about three inches of water and pay attention because beans do “drink” the water. then you cook them in pressure cooker (cooking time depend on what kind of bean and what kind of pressure cooker you have), usually 40 minutes.

Try my new recipe: roman gnocchi

Roman Gnocchi Light

Roman Gnocchi Light

ROMAN GNOCCHI LIGHT

This is a simple recipe, it’s inexpensive but really good! My daughter loves these gnocchi! This is much lighter than classical recipe, in fact the classical have butter, eggs and too much cheese. Gnocchi alla Romana is a typical italian recipe, from Rome (the capital of Italy). This dish can be prepared in advance so it’s easy and quick. Roman Gnocchi are tender inside with a thin crunchy crust.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250 gr.) semolina flour
• 4 1/2 cups (1 lt.) water
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 2 oz. (50 gr.) parmesan cheese freshly grated

Method:

in a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the water to a lightly simmer, then add salt and semolina flour then stir with a whisk to avoid lumps.
Cook for at least 5 minutes. The mixture should be like some mashed potatoes. Remove from heat add olive oil and 1 oz. parmesan and stir until all is well mixed.
Put the dough over a baking paper and roll to about 0.50 inches (1 cm).
Cut the dough in circles, I used a coffee cup with edges oiled with some extra virgin olive oil. If you choose, like me, the classic form you can re-knead what is left and roll out again to make other gnocchi.
Put a baking paper or oil into baking pan, add gnocchi and sprinkle some Parmesan, pour some oil on. Preheat the oven to 350/400°F gas 4 and bake about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin seeds snack

Fall is the pumpkin season! Carving your own Halloween pumpkin is an easy and fun activity for the whole family, but what to do with the leftovers… Do you Know that pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of magnesium and also supply some protein and fiber? The seeds are rich in phytosterols, natural plant compounds that may help lower blood cholesterol levels. So don’t throw out your pumpkin seeds! Believe it or not, the seeds you exhume and discard from your soon-to-be Jack O’ Lantern are just a quick roast away from becoming a delicious snack – crunchy.
Ingredients:

• one pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Method:
Cut open the pumpkin by cutting a circle around the stem end with a knife and pulling off the top. Scrape the seeds from your pumpkin with a metal spoon. Place the mass of pumpkin seeds in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from flesh. Preheat the oven to 350/400°F gas 4. Spread the pumpkin seeds evenly over a large baking tray. Put a few good lugs of olive oil over the seeds and mix together with cumin and paprika. Bake until the seeds begin to brown, 10 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds. Let the pumpkin seeds cool all the way down before eating. Either crack to remove the inner seed and eat. You can use

Pesto Sauce Recipe

Pesto Sauce

Make your pesto sauce in ten minutes! It's the best choice for your pasta! Do you Know that there is a championship in Genoa. Do you want to partecipate? Read more: The Genoa Pesto World Championship

• 4 bunches of fresh PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) Genoese basil
• 30 g pine nuts
• 45-60 g aged Parmesan cheese, grated
• 20 g Sardo cheese (Pecorino Sardo), grated
• 1-2 garlic cloves from Vassalico (Imperia)
• 5-6 g salt
• 70 cc PDO extra-virgin olive oil from the “Italian Riviera”

Wash the basil leaves in cold water and dry them on a tea towel but don’t rub them. Then in a mixer insert the garlic and pine nuts. Add salt and the basil leave, then add the Parmesan cheese and the Sardo cheese mix with a spoon. Pour in a thin layer of PDO extra-virgin olive oil from the Italian Riviera, which lightly blends the ingredients without overdoing. The preparation must be done as quickly as possible to avoid oxidation problems.
Pesto sauce should be stored in the refrigerator for four to five days at the most, covered with a thin layer of oil. You can also store it in your freezer for one to two months. Remember to divide it into the portions you use to toss pasta

Hummus

Hummus

Today my proposal is hummus recipe.

This sauce is great to make sandwiches for your lunchbox, or simply to eat with warm pita bread or piadina or to make a vegetarian stuffed courgettes.
This recipe is so quick and easy.

Ingredients:

• 7 oz chickpeas (save the cooking liquid), or canned chickpeas
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon tahini (it's a paste made from ground sesame seeds) optional
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation method:

The night before soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water. The day after you can cook them for 40 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Then all you have to do is throw all the ingredients in the processor.
And... your homemade hummus is ready!

Vegetarian Stuffed Courgettes

Vegetarian Stuffed Courgettes

Stuffed courgettes is a very tasty main dish, well known among classic Italian Recipes but today I propose you a vegetarian recipe.
This recipe is even more interesting because you will use the whole courgette: its pulp for example will be added to the hummus to enrich the filling.

Ingredients for 3 people

• 8 courgettes
• hummus
• wholemeal bread crumbs

Preparation of vegetarian stuffed courgettes

Wash the courgettes. Even if there’s no visible dirt you should always wash them under fresh running water to rinse them of any pesticides or lingering bacteria. With your hand, gently rub the skin of the zucchini while holding it under water until it no longer feels gritty.
Trim off the ends and boil the courgettes whole in lightly salted water for at least 5/10 minutes, until soft. Cut the courgettes in half lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp in a bowl and keep aside. Mix together hummus and pulp. You can now lay your hollow courgettes on an oiled baking tray and fill the vegetables with the mix.

Run a fork on each courgette lengthwise in order to get a ridged surface and sprinkle with wholemeal bread crumbs.
Cook for 20-30 minutes at 180ºC and leave them too cool down for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:
the stuffed courgettes are a perfect dish for summer (you can find the last courgettes in a market), to prepare well in advance to eat the day after!
In my family, filled courgettes were a very popular dish and an easy one to make with kids. It’s also a good way to get children to eat vegetables.
Et voilà vegetarian stuffed courgettes

Whole-Wheat Penne with Green Beans

Whole-Wheat Penne with Green Beans

Why Is Whole-Grain Pasta Healthier Than White Pasta?
The seeds of whole grains have three components called the endosperm, germ and bran. When these are intact, whole grains offer you higher nutrient value. We know that the carbs are a nutrient that our body needs. They function to give you energy and support the brain and nervous system. Simple carbs occur naturally in milk, milk derivatives and fruits, but they are also prominent in cakes, cookies, candy, sweet drinks and sugary cereals. When consumed, simple carbs give you a fast spike of energy, but it wears off quickly. White pasta is technically a complex carb, but it is refined and starchy. This makes it act like a simple carb in the body. Consistent intake of simple carbs can promote weight gain and hinder weight loss efforts. Complex carbs, on the other hand, are digested at a slow pace and give you lasting energy levels. Whole-grain pasta is a good source of complex carbs. ACS Guidelines for Nutrition recommend: “Choose whole-grain breads, pasta, and cereals (such as barley and oats) instead of breads, cereals, and pasta made from refined grains, and brown rice instead of white rice”.
So if you spend extra money on whole wheat bread or pasta and you’re positive you’ll enjoy a low glycemic index, nutritional fibers, and generally better health.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. whole wheat penne or spaghetti
• 2 to 3 tablespoons pesto sauce the original recipe
• 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• salt

Method:
Cut the green beans are into one-inch pieces.
Cut the onion into thin slices, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat and then add the onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the green beans, salt, the reserved pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until the beans are tender.
Drain the pasta and immediately toss it in a large bowl with the green beans, pesto.
Bring the bowl to the table and serve