A light take on Heavy

I have been tyring to make a very conscious effort into becoming healthier. I always cook with fresh ingredients and everything is made from scratch. Then it hits me. The dreaded Alfredo Sauce craving.

This recipe came to me one night when I was craving an oooey gooey Alfredo sauce. Thank god I just got off the phone with my travel agent and booked a tropical getaway. With the thought of frolicking around on a beach, in a bikini, with a tropical drink in my hand I couldn't make it. So I listened to my brain, not my stomach, and improvised a spin off of my insanely fattening and heart clogging Alfredo sauce (my first blog entry ever).

I really liked it....and so did my husband. It really hit the spot and was a nice light meal. Usually after eating Alfredo sauce I feel so bogged down. I just want to sit on the couch and not move. After this I felt light and satisfied. I might even do the unthinkable- Never make traditional Alfredo sauce again. My mother would be so proud!

Light Alfredo with Spinach Ravioli

8oz Marsarpone Cheese

1/2 can (about 8 oz) Chicken Broth

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Pinch of Paprika

Salt & Pepper to taste

A hand full of fresh parsley, chopped

1lb of Spinach Ravioli (any kind of pasta is fine)

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Cook your raviolis in salted water until they are just under Al'dente. Drain. Drizzle with Olive oil and toss.

In a non-coated pan heat the Olive Oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the Marscarpone cheese, Broth and spices. Whisk together until the cheese is dissolved.

Pour over the Ravioli, Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy. Quick. Easy. Simply

Cheese, Pasta and Wine...is there anything better?

“That’s so unhealthy! Why would you want to eat all that fattening food?” This is my mother’s response to anything Alfredo/cheese sauce. Yet the woman has no problem inhaling a tub of ice cream, a package of Pepperidge Farm Sausalito Cookies and still manages to slink into a pair of size 4 jeans. Any given day you can open my moms freezer and there will be 3 tubs of ice cream...not little Ben & Jerry's but full sized Ice cream. In the pantry you will always find an assortment of cookies, a bag of Tostidos and a bag of Potato Chips. If something is missing that means shes working on finishing it off at the kitchen table.


Today I was driving home from work and, as always, my mother asked me what I was cooking for dinner. Again those infamous words came out of her mouth. My standard response “Ummm…because is good ma.”

Those words are engraved in the back of my mind. That is why this is one of my “treat” recipes. I don’t make it often because I feel like I am slowly killing myself and my husband with this dish. This is the only recipe I feel guilty for making-but it so damn worth it! I try to convince her that it’s not that bad because it has veggies and chicken in it but it still makes me feel like I’m doing a bad thing by eating it.

Another reason why I love this recipe is that it’s fairly inexpensive. Most of this stuff I have on hand. Frozen veggies are usually on sale 10 for $10 so I stock up on some staples. The only thing I had to buy for this dinner was the heavy cream & sun dried tomatoes. The Chicken was left over from a BBQ dinner this week. My splurge was the sun dried tomatoes at $3.49 a tub, but I will use it in salads and other recipes. All in all this dinner cost no more than $10 and it will feed 4-5 people…easy

Oh so good heart clogging Cheesy Pasta

1/2 stick of butter (I told you it was going to be good)
4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 big cloves of garlic, diced
3 cups of Grated Cheese (I use Parmesan but if you want to mix in some Gruyere Cheese its all the better, but Expensive)
3 Cups of Heavy Cream
1 package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
Handful of Sun dried tomatoes diced (not in oil, it they are in oil wash them and try to get most oil off)
2 Grilled chicken breasts (I use leftovers)
1lb Pasta of choice (I used Bow-tie)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Boil water for pasta (don’t forget to salt your water!) & cook Pasta. When its Al Dente drain.

Heat butter and oil until the butter is melted over low heat. Add Diced garlic. DON’T TOUCH! Let it brown, but be careful not to burn. Stir.

Add the cream, whisk and loosely cover. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add Cheese and stir constantly until its incorporated.

(P.S. That nifty little grater in the back round is Gods gift to cheese lovers!)

Add Spinach, chopped chicken breasts & Pasta. Stir. Add Salt and pepper to taste.

Add Sun dried tomatoes and stir well. If the sauce is looking a bit dry you can add more cheese and cream. Cover and let it sit for a few minutes so the pasta can absorb the yumminess.

This dish goes GREAT with a nice chilled Pinot Grigio. I'm serving B.V. Coastal Pinot Grigio…Cheap yet oh so yummy. A bottle of it runs less than $10 but tastes like more.


If you have left overs to heat it up DO NOT MICROWAVE or I will find out and hunt you down…wooden spoon in hand. Just pop it into a nonstick pan with a small amount of butter and extra heavy cream. Enjoy!