Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce

by Lori Lange on August 17, 2010

Cover recipe from Vegetarian Times,  September 2010
Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce
Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce 2The theme of the current Vegetarian Times magazine this month is “Healthy Comfort Food.”  Its’ always reassuring to see this sort of thing as we begin to approach the cooler months.  They’re featuring “cooking with apples,” “secrets to homemade hummus,” and “ten 5-ingredient pasta dinners.”  The cover recipe is one of those 5 ingredient dinners, and it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.  The Veg Times folks are determined to show home cooks that while noodles and jarred sauce are pretty easy to whip up, you can just as easily make something more memorable.   They go so far as to say that the flavor combinations they’re sharing in this month’s magazine are enticing entrees that you’d be proud to serve at a dinner party.  Read below to see what I thought of the linguine cover recipe.

Other pasta recipes included in the magazine:  Rotelle w/ Tomato-Tofu Carbonara & Fresh Basil, Orecchiette w/ Gorgonzola & Walnuts, Casareccia w/ Zucchini & Fresh Basil, Pappardelle w/ Artichokes & Arugula, Orzo Lentil Pilaf w/ Feta, Spaghetti w/ Fresh Tomato Sauce, and Farfalle w/ Caramelized Onions and Broccoli.

Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce 1Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce
Source:  Vegetarian Times, September 2010

ingredients:
8 ounces dry linguine
1/2 cup light cream cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, juiced and 1 Tbsp. zest grated
1/2 cup chopped parsley

instructions:
1.  Cook linguine according to package directions in pot of boiling, salted water.
2.  Warm cream cheese, oil and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in saucepan over low heat.
3.  Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.  Stir reserved cooking water into cream cheese mixture.  Add pasta, lemon zest, and parsley; toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

nutritional information (per 1 cup serving):  calories 343, protein 11g, total fat 14g (5g sat), carb 45g, cholesterol 21mg, sodium 294mg, fiber 2g, sugars 4g

Serves:  4

Notes from Culinary Covers:
*You know how sometimes a recipe says it’s going to take less than 30 minutes but it really takes much longer?  This recipe is true to its word.  It was easy to make and took very little time to put together.
*Since the recipe instructed to juice the whole lemon, I ended up putting the juice from the whole lemon in my sauce.  It ended up to be a bit lemony, which my 9 year old informed me.  I’m guessing if you only put the 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice in the sauce that it will be just perfect.
*One complaint- too much parsley.  A couple of Tablespoons (rather than 1/2 cup) would be plenty.
*You can get 4 fairly generous servings out of this dish.  Serve it up with a hearty salad (and maybe bread) and everyone will be happy.

Did this recipe deserve the cover spotlight?  Yes!  It was a smashing success in our house.  We all enjoyed, and I thought it was a good example of healthy comfort food– that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

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Blueberry Pancakes

by Lori Lange on August 3, 2010

Cover recipe from Woman’s Day, January 2010
Blueberry Pancakes
Blueberry Pancakes 1This issue of Women’s Day came out in January 2010.  For the life of me, I can’t understand why a magazine would put mouthwatering blueberry pancakes on a January cover.  Where are blueberries fresh in the middle of January?  The print on the cover does not have anything at all to do with blueberry pancakes, so I’m not at all sure why this recipe was selected to be featured.  Interesting choice.  In any case, I saved the magazine until summer… when blueberries are plentiful, ripe and cheap (and not imported). 

There must be a good reason why this recipe was selected for the cover, but I can’t – for the life of me- figure out what it is.  Isn’t a cover supposed to be a representation of what you might be expecting from a magazine that month?  The blueberry pancakes came out of nowhere.  There isn’t a reference to them in the entire magazine… just a recipe tucked onto the last page without any connection at all to any of the food-related articles.  Strange.  See notes below for how these pancakes turned out…

Blueberry Pancakes 2Blueberry Pancakes
Source:  Woman’s Day, January 2010

ingredients:
1 cup pancake & baking mix (such as Bisquick)
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 tsp. butter
blueberry or maple syrup & fresh blueberries, for serving

instructions:
1.  Stir baking mix, milk, egg, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and juice in a bowl until blended.  Stir in berries.
2.  Melt 1 tsp. butter in a large nonstick skillet.  For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter into pan.
3.  Cook until bottoms are golden; turn over and cook until bottoms are golden.  Repeat with remaining butter and batter.

Yield:  10 (4-inch pancakes)

Notes from Culinary Covers:
*Text on the cover of the magazine says that these are the “best-ever blueberry pancakes.”  The recipe starts with a boxed mix, so I was immediately skeptical of that claim.
*There isn’t really a lot different in this recipe than in a normal boxed mix recipe, except the addition of lemon zest & juice, and of course the blueberries.
*The added lemon was a nice idea.  You definitely taste it and it was good with the blueberries.
*The recipe calls for adding the blueberries to the mix.  First of all, it only calls for 1/2 cup of blueberries.  This isn’t nearly enough.  Second, it’s much better just to spoon the batter onto the pan and then scatter the blueberries on top of the batter.  If they’re mixed into the batter, you have to worry about trying to get enough in each pancake.
*If you’re looking to jazz up a boxed mix that you have in your pantry, this is a good option.  If you want the best-ever pancakes though, I go with this recipe that I reviewed a couple of months ago (and add blueberries if you’d like).

Did this recipe deserve the cover spotlight?  Uh, no.  What this recipe has to do with the theme of the magazine for the month of January… is not clear.  And they were good pancakes but they certainly weren’t the “best-ever.”

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