Lean & Green Edamame Spaghetti with Kumquats – Protein Pasta

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

So, how does a plate of pasta fit in with my higher protein diet? Let me tell you! As many of you know, I’ve been eating a higher protein diet for the last several years and really scaled back the amount of carbs that come in the form of bread, baked goods, rice . . . and pasta! You may have read one or two of my posts on the importance of protein, there have been many!

A higher protein diet helps me stay lean and mean for running, Crossfit, yoga and all my other fitness endeavors. Oh yeah, and for LIFE — that especially!

As a long-time athlete, I decided it was time to take a closer look at what I’ve been eating and how wit as or was not fueling my goals. While carbs have their time and place on my plate (like leading up to and during an endurance event and, of course, pretty much any and all vegetables whenever I want), kicking up my protein intake has really helped me build some much-needed muscle I need to stay competitive as I creep up into the shadows of being 49 years old!

So, until I recently found the Explore Asian line of higher-protein pastas, I had been eating my beef ragu on top of zucchini, my stir-fry on top of spinach and my chicken noodle soup without, err, noodles – you get the idea! As much as I love the extra servings of veggies, sometimes it’s nice and comforting to have pasta to twirl around on your fork or slurp from a spoon. Explore Asian has given me back pasta options – and options that are ridiculously healthy and can be quickly cooked into a nutritious meal that fills me up and helps me stay lean and strong. I’m winning already!

All in all there are five flavors, but I especially love these three Explore Asian products- Black Bean Spaghetti, Edamame Spaghetti and Thai Brown Rice Noodles. Every batch is made with the finest, organic NON-GMO ingredients that are also vegan, gluten free, organic, Kosher certified and come in low on the Glycemic Index (around 20). Additionally, Explore Asian has about 400% more protein and fiber and 60% fewer carbs than other pasta making them a great option for diabetics, vegetarians or those following a low-carb, high-protein diet!

I’m sharing a yummy, easy “pasta” recipe (Edamame Spaghetti with Kumquats) using the Edamame Spaghetti from Explore Asian the pasta, coming straight out of the bag, is simply made from edamame beans and water, that’s it! One serving of this bean-based pasta offers 24g of protein in a 2 ounce dry serving – this is pretty much spot on with the recommended 25 – 30g recommended per meal. You don’t really need to add any additional protein, but I threw on a few extra edamame beans to get to the upper range and flavored it up with some zesty kumquats and feta cheese.

The pasta is so easy to boil up too! It basically cannot be overcooked and the fiber content from the beans offers a great texture that keeps this pasta in a constant state of just-right al dente! This means the pasta products will work well in a crock pot and left overs hold up beautifully for reheating the next day! Check out this other recipe I made earlier in the year with the Black Bean Spaghetti — Black Garlic & Steak Curry!

You can find Explore Asian gluten-free pastas at Whole Foods, Costco and Fairway stores as well as at http://www.explore-asian.com/. Costco is now even selling the Edamame Spaghetti in 2lb boxes!

Use the STORE LOCATOR to find the retailer closest to you.

Try this gluten-free, organic, high-protein pasta out for yourself! If you do, take a picture of your recipe using Explore Asian products and enter for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Whole Foods. Head over to the recipe database for inspiration, get cooking, and then send a photo of your finished dish to info@explore-asian.com no later than December 24, 2015.

Lean & Green Edamame Spaghetti with Kumquats @Explore_Asian #beanpasta #fitfluential #Ad <a href=”https://t.co/sMEYRHRc0f” class=”twitter-timeline-link u-hidden” data-pre-embedded=”true” dir=”ltr”…

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This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Explore Asian.

Edamame Spaghetti with Kumquats and Feta

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

13 mins

Make a quick and healthy dinner of edamame pasta tossed with feta and kumquats - this gluten-free, high-protein spaghetti is perfect fuel for the athlete.

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 7.05 oz package Edamame Spaghetti Explore Asian brand
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed to room temperature
1 dozen kuquats, seeded and coarsely chopped keep skin on
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Srirracha sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese or can substitute nuts to keep dairy free

Instructions

Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot.
In small bowl, whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, Srirracha, and olive oil.
Put edamame beans, chopped kumquats and sauce into pot with drained pasta and toss until everything coated.
Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

Beef, Quinoa and Feta Meatballs – Ground Round Goodness

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

On top of spaghetti or even nestled in a lettuce wrap, meatballs are a mainstay in my weeknight dinner rotation – the kids love them and so do I! In fact, there is usually a stampede to kitchen to see who can get served first! These spherical mounds of ground meat goodness can be made from just about anything, but I like to use ground beef – preferably a 90/10 ground sirloin to keep them a bit leaner yet still offer loads of satisfying flavor.

I’m expecting a stampede to the dinner table with this beef meatball recipe!

Today, I have a deliciously nutritious recipe for you — Beefy Quinoa Feta Meatballs in Lettuce Wraps. Yup, that’s right – instead of bread crumbs or another filler, I’ve added quinoa to act as the binder in these yummy meatballs – this little swaperoo makes them ideal for folks following gluten-free, Paleo or low carb diets. Quinoa, an edible seed that is a good source of nutrients including fiber, iron, magnesium, folate and heart-healthy omega 3s, is also considered a complete protein in itself with all the requisite amino acids. What a dynamic duo – a double punch of protein thanks to beef and quinoa, both superfoods!

Not only to you kick up the protein with this beef quinoa meatball recipe, it also helps to stretch your food budget – adding the cup of cooked quinoa to ground beef lets you roll up a few more meatballs for hardly any more money (meaning, you can buy that better sirloin grind). And, in my family, more meatballs more happy boys and less arguing over who gets second servings.

You could serve these Beefy Quinoa Feta Meatballs over the pasta of your choice or even a sub sandwich. I personally love them wrapped up in “bowls” of Bibb lettuce and drizzled with a tangy Greek yogurt dressing like a tzatzikis sauce – for convenience try OPA by Litehouse™ Feta Dill for the perfect lower-cal pairing.

Also, a fun kid-friendly idea for quickly-approaching October lunchbox duty — ‘Lil Critters Beef Meatball Bento Box. I made this happy monster meal in a post on ways to beef up a bag lunch for BeefLovingTexans.com — please visit to see the other ideas!

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of #Beef and Quinoa! #Fitfluential #LivingLitehouse Meatball #recipe

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How would you serve these meatballs? Have you ever used quinoa for anything other than a side dish? Please share in the comments below — XOXO, Jennifer

Beef Quinoa Feta Meatballs

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

18 mins

Total Time

28 mins

Create a hearty meal that will please the whole family. These meatballs are packed with wholesome, nutritious ingredients like lean ground beef and quinoa and can be served over pasta or in lettuce leaves.

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 6 servings (24 mini meatballs)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa (from approximately ½ cup dry)
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
5 ounces crumbled Feta cheese I used Artisan Reserve brand
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parseley
1 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together cooked quinoa, ground beef, cheese, parseley, salt and peppers until well combined. Using hands or a melon-baller, shape into 24 balls and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Roast in oven until cooked through and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes (internal temperature should reach 165 F degrees).
Serve as desired -- in lettuce leaves, with pasta or in a sandwich are some ideas to get you started!

Raspberry Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

Berry delicious! Are you craving a dinner that is bursting with seasonal yumminess, simple to pull together and healthy with an exclamation point? My recipe for Raspberry Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken is all these things — plus it’s gorgeous enough for outdoor entertaining.

I first made this recipe for the Living Litehouse blog at LitehouseFoods.com; it builds on the flavors of their vibrant Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette. This elegant entrée salad features all the food groups with spinach, grilled chicken breast, raspberries, walnuts and wheat berries all playing nicely together. What, you’ve never eaten wheat berries?! This versatile whole grain has a sweet, nutty taste and pleasant, chewy texture – a nice swap for brown rice when you’re looking to bust out of a rut. Wheat berries are also a great source of vitamins, fiber and other essential nutrients – and offer healthy source of carbs to fuel your day.

You can also layer up all the ingredients into a jar salad to take to work or to refuel right after a gym session. Starting by pouring dressing in the bottom of the jar, then layer up everything in order of “sturdiness and wiltability” – meaning the wheat berries go next and then the delicate spinach up top. When you’re ready to eat lunch, just shake-shake-shake the jar and pour out on a plate (or eat straight from the container, it’s one less dish to clean)!

If you can’t find the Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette from Litehouse Foods, then try this homemade Raspberry Dressing recipe that first appeared in Southern Living.

Raspberry Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Make life easy and grill chicken ahead of time or substitute rotisserie chicken from the deli that has been cut up into chunks!

Course: Fruit, Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup cooked wheat berries cold or at room temperature
1/2 cup ½ cup Litehouse Foods Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette (divided) or make own dressing
8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
12 ounces grilled chicken breast
1/3 cyo chopped green onions (bulbs and tops)
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup walnut halves or pieces
2 ounces feta cheese crumbles

Instructions

In small bowl, mix together the cooked wheat berries with ¼ cup of Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette. Set aside.
Add spinach to large bowl. Toss with dressed wheat berries, grilled chicken strips, green onions, raspberries, walnuts and feta.
Serve with remaining ¼ cup dressing.

Persimmon Avocado Salad with Chili-dusted Shrimp

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

I picked a peck of “Sharon” persimmons from Frieda’s Produce – I’ve never had one of these curious fruits in my life! This particular “Sharon” type of persimmon is tomato-shaped with a smooth skin of pale orange to orange-red with a sweet, mild flavor and is nearly seedless. So, I put these pretty little thinks on the counter to ripen like a tomato, but no change . . . for weeks! So finally, I sliced into one and was very surprised to find out how sweet and ready to eat it as it was!

Health and Nutrition Benefits of Persimmons: This sweet and pulpy fruit is packed with a variety of health benefits. For example, the “divine fruit” provides nearly 80% of the daily value for vitamin C and is a good source of fiber. Persimmons are high in other vitamin and mineral content including vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin B6 along with manganese, copper, potassium and phosphorous. Benefits from the range of these nutrients have been linked to reduction in certain types of cancer, improved eye health, lowered blood pressure, relief from digestive issues and more. A serving of persimmon (100 grams) has 70 calories and almost no fat.

Back to my persimmon windfall . . . I wasn’t really sure how to eat persimmons, outside of slices. Though about grilling some (and still may), but then decided to pair up with the best avocados from California – because everything is awesome with avocado! Am I right?! BTW, California avocados are in season right now and so much better than the ones exported from across the border year-round.

Hope you enjoy my recipe for Persimmon Avocado Feta Salad with Chili-dusted Shrimp and Lime Vinaigrette –it tastes as yummy as it is colorful. Plus, it’s a light, healthy Paleo-friendly dish (omit the cheese if you must) providing lean protein from the shrimp, vitamin A and C from the persimmon, and heart-healthy fats thanks to creamy, dreamy avocado.

Persimmon Avocado Salad with Spicy Shrimp #LimeDressing #Fitfluential

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Have you ever tried a persimmon before?

How many avocados do you eat per week?

What are you doing to be active this week?

Please share any or all in the comments below! xoxo Jennifer

Persimmon Avocado Salad with Shrimp

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

20 mins

This colorful light and healthy and packed with nutrition including lean protein, heart healthy fats and vitamins A & C. Perfect for a Paleo dinner on the patio!

Course: Main Dish, Salad

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

2/3 pound arge shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oli
1 Sharon persimmons cut crosswise in ¼” slices
1 avocado, peeled and cut in slices
2 tbsp crumbled Feta cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

for dressing

2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Pat peeled and deveined shrimp dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with chile powder and salt, slightly rub in.
Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring. Shrimp will be done when they have turned pink and are no longer translucent. Take care not to overcook. Transfer shrimp to plat to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice persimmons and avocado and arrange on plate. Sprinkle with feta and cilantro and top with cooled shrimp.
To make lime vinaigrette, add all ingredients for dressing into small jar and shake until emulsified.

Grilled Apricot Kale Salad #SaladRevolution

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

If you don’t pay attention, you might miss apricot season – that would totally be the pits! This small, delicate stone fruit is at its peak from May through mid-June and is such a tasty little treat. A cup of sliced fresh apricots has less than 80 calories and provides a natural, unprocessed source of complex carbohydrates — the “good “ kind of carbs that give your body and brain quick energy for doing stuff – fun stuff like running, yoga, CrossFit and playing with your kids along with necessary evils like folding laundry, vacuuming . . . uh, and thinking rationally while stuck in rush-hour traffic.

When greedily hoarding selecting apricots at the grocery store or farmers’ market, keep in mind that this stone fruit doesn’t ripen with sweetness any further after picking. Look for fruit that is moderately soft but not squishy, unblemished and lightly scented with that famous fragrance. I usually gobble up my fresh apricots right away, but they will stay fresh on the kitchen counter for a couple days – after that, stick them in the fridge to give them a couple extra days of edible enjoyment.

Y’all know I love my grill and decided why not throw some apricots on there and see what would happen. Fabulous, good, yummy things happened as my apricots, brushed only with olive oil and sprinkled with a tiny bit of sea salt, softened and caramelized to perfection. I ate some right off the grates and had a few with my Greek yogurt for dessert – but the highlight of my fruit grilling was the Grilled Apricot and Feta Kale Salad with Organic Raspberry-Lime Vinaigrette I created for my friends at Litehouse Foods.

So many vibrant colors and healthy ingredients to swoon over in this salad including kale, raspberries, Marcona almonds, feta and more. Perfect for your late spring and summer entertaining or wow them at a pot luck. Add some shrimp or chicken to make this an entrée salad. Definitely a timely and soon-to-be-trending salad! Share your innovative salad recipe and tag @litehousefoods and #SaladRevolution on Instagram, they’ll send you a $1 off coupon good on their fit and fresh dressings, cheese, dips, and herbs.

I’ve been taking a break from the roads every now and then and heading to the trails — they are so gorgeous this time of year in Austin and we have 20+ miles of trails in my neighborhood!

Try my Grilled Apricot and Kale Salad and join in the #SaladRevolution @LitehouseFoods #Fitfluential #EatClean

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Do you like to run or hike on trails? What is the biggest challenge for you — location, terrain, allergies, critters, etc?

What is a unique ingredient you like to put on salads? I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for new ideas, so please share in the comments.

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Tag Archives: feta

Lean & Green Edamame Spaghetti with Kumquats – Protein Pasta

Beef, Quinoa and Feta Meatballs – Ground Round Goodness

Raspberry Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken

Persimmon Avocado Salad with Chili-dusted Shrimp

Grilled Apricot Kale Salad #SaladRevolution