Thursday, March 26, 2009

Pasta Marinara alla Helsa

Adapted from Helsa Wayton, blocker for the Manic Attackers and trainer for Derby Lite. And also, actually, my ice skating instructor from way back. Helsa says, "it provides a good balance of clean protein and carbohydrates, especially good for controlling blood sugar levels prior to athletic performance. (I eat this almost every meal for 3 days before every bout.) Plus, the peas are a great source of potassium to replace that lost during exercise!"

This is probably not as clean or balanced as Helsa's original recipe, but I think it's not bad.

For those of you interested in etymology, the first instance of "alla" in the Poppyverse appeared in this recipe. I know it's a lot of you, interested in etymology—

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb frozen corn
1/2 lb frozen peas
1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar of marinara sauce
1/2 lb short pasta

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute leftover bits until softened, about five minutes. Add turkey and break it up in the pan until lightly browned, about five minutes. Add corn, peas, beans, and marinara sauce; simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, about twenty minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, put water on for pasta. When the water comes to a boil, dump in the pasta and cook for ten minutes. Drain the pasta and dump it into a large bowl. Pour the sauce over, and stir it all up.

Per 1/6 recipe, 459 calories

Pasta Alfredo alla Helsa
Use 1 jar of alfredo sauce instead of marinara sauce.

Per 1/6 recipe, 485 calories