Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Presto Pasta Night #12 - Only In My Dreams

I've already received a few entries for this coming Friday - Presto Pasta Night #12 which makes it an even dozen - I'm happy to say. But here's the rub....we're all doing the South Beach DietPhase One, which means NO carbs, which obviously means NO pasta for the next two weeks.

But I'm no quitter and frankly I want to see what everyone else comes up with so I can live vicariously through you. So my entry this week is to re-share a few of my very favorite pasta dishes.


Herb & Three Cheese Penne - my ultimate Mac & Cheese


Well, that was a big mistake....now I have to go snack on a handful of almonds.

So what will you be making for Presto Pasta Night? It's easy and fun. Remember that ALL noodles dishes count as pasta and "presto" or "lento" (I think that means slow) are perfect. Find out how right here. In the meantime...Happy Pasta Eating and think of me when you do!!!


12 comments:

Rebeca said...

I am making mac n' cheese with manchego and shallots and roasted fennel.

There, now that I've said it, I'll actually do it!

Good luck with SBDP1. You're a better woman than me.

Ruth Daniels said...

Rebeca, I can't wait to see your mac & cheese on PPN!

And about being a better woman...we're all a little cranky around here.

chemcookit said...

Hey Ruth, South Beach diet is bad for you!! :) The best is the Mediterranean diet, am I right or not? :)
Seriously, this is something I've always wondered after I first heard of this diet. It sounds really bad to get most of your calories from fats and proteins, doesn't it affect your cholesterol really badly? Anyway, take care and thanks again for organizing the presto pasta nights.

Ruth Daniels said...

Chemcookit, actually, this is not a no carb diet and very much follows healthy Mediterranean diet. It's just the first 2 weeks of limited carbs. After that it's eating multigrain rather than white flour/rice carbs. The multigrain factor is not LOW carb, just DIFFERENT carbs that take longer to digest, so less "storing" factor. It means limiting potatoes and eating more sweet potatoes instead...stuff like that, so really we do get all the food groups.

The bottom line...healthful lean foods, quickly sauteed, roasted or grilled, lots of veggies of every variety and even low fat, low sugar sweets. I lost 20 lbs in a month and kept if off for more than a year.

The only reason we're doing this now is because my daughter wants to lose baby fat (she had a delicious boy in January) and for us...with the move, etc., we've just fallen back into bad eating patterns. Truthfully, I've never been healthier than on this diet...lower bad cholesterol, higher good cholesterol, better blood pressure, more energy....

Thanks for caring.

chemcookit said...

I see. Interesting! I really had a misconception about it. That sounds like a nice diet.. Actually, I like whole grain better than white flour (I've been experimenting a lot with breads with different flours recently). I also used to buy whole grain pasta, although I must say, for pasta I found out I prefer the regular one (I think it just keeps the right consistency better).. but you can make delicious things with whole wheat pasta too. Take care and good luck!

Anonymous said...

I don't think I can survive on South Beach diet. Well, I know it's good for me...but pasta is also good for me ;p

chemcookit said...

Hey Ruth,
yesterday I sent you an email with my entry for Presto Pasta night but I just got a delivery failure warning. So if you want to see my entry, just go on my blog and it's the entry called 'Pasta ai broccoli alla siciliana', dated wed May 16th. Thanks!

Ruth Daniels said...

Tigerfish, although it is a challenge...only the first 2 weeks on South Beach mean no pasta, after that it's perfectly fine. I mostly use whole wheat or multigrain pasta, but every once in a while I go all out. I kept 20 pounds off for more than a year and it wasn't the pasta that put it back.

Chemcookit, I did find the post and it will be on the roundup. Sometimes people forget to include the "4". My email is ruth@4everykitchen.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Ruth. I've sent you an email with a submission. Hope you got it this time!!!

Ruth Daniels said...

Lorraine, I did indeed and it's on the roundup. Thanks so much for being such a great part of PPN.

Freya said...

Hi Ruth, I'm having problems leaving feedback on the two posts above, hence this one here...
I submitted my entry for Presto Pasta night a few days ago but it looks like it might have gotten lost in cyberspace...
Great lineup though and fabulous ideas for future suppers!

Ruth Daniels said...

Freya, not sure what happend to my comment section for the other posts. I seem to have fixed the problem and have added your delicious Penne with Courgette & Peas. Looks delicious!