Swap Out Your Pasta For Something Better

My sister refers to me as a health nut, but I'm really not one. I just try to make better choices when it comes to food. I try to limit my gluten intake to help manage my autoimmune diseases. Sadly, I just discovered a love of a bunch of sauces other than the tomato sauce my mother made growing up, but I'm trying to avoid wheat noodles. Then I discovered Banza Pasta. It is made from chickpeas! 

I had never heard of a chickpea until I met my boyfriend's mother, who can basically make anything out of chickpeas. This legume is a secret super food, gluten free, low on the glycemic index and Banza's chickpeas are certified non-GMO. Just replace regular pasta in any recipe with Banza and you get double the protein, four times the fiber, and half the net carbs. 

This past weekend I did just that. Three Days, Three Recipes and Three Pastas.

Day One: Linguine

We invited a few friends over for a Pasta Game Night.

We made some turkey meatballs with a tomato and basil red sauce. The Banza Linguine cooked just like regular pasta.

Dinner was delicious.

Day Two: Shells

We visited my sister and brother-in-law with ingredients in tow. We whipped up some Chicken Alfredo and added Banza Shells. This one was also a hit.

Day Three: Rotini

This recipe was my favorite! Butternut Squash Alfredo! A perfect fall dish. The Banza Rotini cooked perfectly and held the sauce well. In this sauce, I couldn't even taste that the pasta was not wheat pasta. 

I wasn't the only one fooled by this dish. Even the kids loved it! That's a big deal. Totally a hit, I will be making this one again.

Banza is such a great alternative for those that are health conscious, have dietary restrictions or just want to add a great superfood to their repertoire.

You can find several varieties of Banza Pastas or their boxed Mac & Cheese at Target, Whole Foods or Wegmans.

Find Banza near you.

~Crystal Vicious

Mmmmmm Matcha!

There are two types of matcha: Culinary and Ceremonial. I love Midori Spring's Ceremonial Matcha, so now it's time to try out their Culinary Matcha. Culinary matcha can be mixed in smoothies, lattes, or added when baking. You should not drink culinary matcha on its own as a tea because it will taste robust, earthy and astringent. 

Naturally, the first thing I wanted to make was a smoothie. The first one I tried was made with 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 cup orange juice, and 1/2 cup frozen mango, plus 1 teaspoon of matcha. It was delicious! I haven't looked back since. I have been adding a teaspoon of matcha to my smoothies every day. It gives them a beautiful green hue, a yummy green tea flavor, plus all the benefits matcha has to offer.

• Energy boost without the jitters.
• Reduces stress and improves mental alertness.
• Improve metabolism and helps with weight control.
• Supports your immune system and reduces inflammation.

After making a ton of smoothies I decided to try my hand at baking with matcha. I found a recipe for matcha meringue and this is what happened. 

These meringue cookies were...interesting. They tasted like the last sip of a cup of tea. A strong tea flavor, and a lot of sugar. I made a perfect meringue...but the flavor was just odd. I love matcha tea, lattes, and smoothies, but I'm not much of a fan of baking with it just yet. This won't deter me from trying a few more recipes, but I won't make these again. None of my friends were big fans either. 

One of my friends actually put a matcha meringue cookie IN his vodka tonic and let it melt. He said it was actually yummy, thus proving matcha will always be delicious in beverages. I give Midori Spring Culinary Matcha 4 out of 5 stars. I love everything about it in drinks. I just don't know how I feel about adding it to cooking and baking. 

Grab some on Amazon.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious

enviHome Spiralizer

I've been dying to try Zucchini pasta so I was thrilled when I found the enviHOME Spiralizer.

This awesome little kitchen gadget comes with:

4 Different Stainless Steel Blades 

Deep-penetrating finger-guard cap 

Blades removal tool 

Flexible cleaning brush 

Printed color manual 

And an AMAZING Ceramic Vegetable Peeler 

This slicer is easy to use and ergonomic. Even with sore wrists and hands I was able to spiralize my zucchini easily with the help of the finger guard cap. It was easy to wash and all the bits fit conveniently in a small container in my cabinet.

This finger guard cap was useful. 

You just stick it in the vegetable and twist. I had a little trouble with a skinny zucchini but it worked great with the bigger ones. After twisting down as far as you can, you are left with a only a bit of waste. I thin, long core in the center of the spiralizer, but it was easy to clean out. The only thing I had a bit of trouble with was removing and replacing the blades. Even with the tool, it was a little tough for my weak fingers, but eventually got it.

This spiralizer did a great job slicing up my veggies and I successfully made zucchini pasta. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and only because I had trouble with the blades. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.  

Easy Zucchini Pasta Recipe

Grab The enviHome Spiralizer On Amazon! 

~Crystal Vicious