I was so happy today. Got out of bed but then decided I would get some more sleep but Shane said “No Jo! Let’s go!”  It was a warmer day at 29 deg. so I thought we would simply go outside and run until we wanted to stop.  It was the best run all week.  A good recovery pace, slow but right where I should be AND we enjoyed a 6 1/2 mile run. 

A few thoughts came up during my run. The first was when we did a 180 deg. turn and I discovered why I was feeling so great. As I turned, the wind was suddenly right in my face. Ah Ha!  It was helping me along.   The second thought occurred as I checked the Garmin and it was close to displaying 6 miles.  My thoughts turned to a few years ago when 6 miles used to be my long run.  Oh how things change.   The last thought was for Shane.  My poor running partner was having his legs run off.  He did the better part of my long run yesterday then was in it for another road run today.  I felt bad, but only until we got home when Shane INSISTED on playing Frisbee in the snow for 10 minutes. Guess he wasn’t worn out after all.  

What a great day! It feels so good to FEEL GOOD about your run after so many days of questioning why you do it.  Oh Happy Day!  Hope you all have JUST AS happy a day as me! 

Ellie Krieger’s Red Pepper and Feta Pasta

Whole wheat pasta tossed in a roasted red pepper and feta cheese sauce. 

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This weeks recipe was picked by Jessica of Learning to Love Vegetables.  It’s a recipe  of Ellie Krieger’s and the group Craving Ellie in my Belly cooked it together this week.   It sounded like a recipe I could really get excited about. Pasta, feta cheese…I was looking forward to this one.

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I was disappointed.  The sauce was missing something.  It didn’t jump out and grab me, it was simply a coating for the pasta. Very drab. 

Here’s how it went *I added Red Chard as a vegetable side but it might have made the pasta dish more interesting if I had tossed it in.

Makes 4 – 6 servings

clip_image001[24] 2 TBS olive oil + 2 TBS olive oil(2nd for the chard)

clip_image001[25] 1 onion, chopped

clip_image001[26] 2 tsp. minced garlic

clip_image001[27] 16 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drain and chopped

clip_image001[28] ½ cup Vegetable broth

clip_image001[29] 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese  *Keep 2 TBS for finishing the dish

clip_image001[30] 1 box whole wheat fettuccine

clip_image001[31] salt to taste

clip_image001[32] ground pepper to taste

clip_image001[33] fresh parsley

clip_image001[34] 1 bunch Red Chard, stems removed and washed REALLY, REALLY well. Chop.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high. Sauté onion and garlic for about 8 – 10 minutes. Add the peppers and sauté until heated through (about 3 minutes).

Remove from heat and put into a blender. Add the broth and all BUT 2 TBS of feta. Mix in blender until smooth. Return to the skillet or a sauce pot, add salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.

Sauté the chard in the skillet you used for the onions, etc. by heating the 2nd serving of 2 TBS olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chard when the oil is hot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté only until it wilts. DO NOT OVER COOK CHARD! Major, MAJOR YUCK!

Heat the pasta according to package directions. Serve sauce with the pasta garnished with parsley.

*Ted really liked the chard. Me? Not so much, but…like I said, might have enjoyed it mixed in with the pasta.

**The sauce was smooth but it most definitely, without any doubt needed a bit of pizzazz. It was bland going on tasteless.

Would I make it again? Yes but I would add two or three additional ingredients to add flavor. I was thinking maybe sundried tomatoes, or maybe a couple of tablespoons of corn to be pureed with the ingredients (natural sweetness), maybe simply a little bit of crushed red pepper would make a difference.

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Now we have to check out everyone else’s results for Fettuccine with Red Pepper & Feta Sauce.  Hope I get some good tweaking ideas.

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