Almonds and Avocados….Where Have You Been All My Life????

I recently discovered that I actually like almonds and avocados.  In fact, I would say that I love them.  What??  How is it that I spent 35 years of my life avoiding these foods?  And now, since doing all of my research on eating healthy, I have discovered that they are so good and good for you.  We have a bowl of almonds sitting on the dining room table and all family members eat them throughout the day.  What a good habit!  Avocados are in season right now in California so we can pretty much get those anywhere and at a very cheap price.  I am just so proud of all of us for getting risky with our foods.  Just the other day Dan came home from work and I asked him what he had for lunch.  I was expecting the typical meat and potato answer.  But instead he told me that he opted to have the mixed vegetables with his meal (like zucchini and carrots and green beans). Crazy!

Our first dinner that I cooked in the new apartment was a new recipe that I found in a running magazine.  Even if you don’t run, buy one of those magazines because I have gotten some pretty good meals from them.  The recipe below is just for Fettuccine Alfredo, but I added chicken and vegetables to our dish.  It adds a whole new twist to the typical Fettuccine Alfredo.  This one takes a bit of getting used to with the taste, but you can experiment with seasonings to have it taste the way you want.  When I made this, I sautéed zucchini, fresh tomatoes and green peppers.  I wanted to add spinach in there but didn’t have any.  That is on my next grocery list.  It is such an easy thing to add to a pasta dish.

Rocco’s Fettuccine Alfredo

8 ounces whole wheat fettuccine

1 tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp cornstarch

Pinch of ground nutmeg

¾ cup low fat, low sodium chicken broth

¾ cup grated Parmigiano cheese

¾ cup 5 percent Greek yogurt plain

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add fettuccine; cook according to package directions.  While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook two minutes.  Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth.  Pour into sauté pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.  Whisk in ½ cup of the cheese until melted.  Remove pan from heat.  Whisk in yogurt until smooth.  Toss fettuccine with Alfredo sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top pasta with remaining cheese.  Serves four.