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Cooking with Kids, Family Meals, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Vegetarian, Wheat Free

Heathy Pasta Carbonara

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Carbonara is one of those meals that my husband adores, but being full of cream, (which I don’t like and it doesn’t like me), I never make it.  Then I felt inspired. Somehow in the midst of sleep deprivation these idea pop into my head. It was a pile of spirallised courgettes and carrots that gave me the idea. I had prepared them ready for a stir fry but they started talking noodles to me, which led to carbonara. It may have been due to eating out and reading a pasta/pizza style menu the night before 😉

With a well stocked kitchen this was a literal doddle to make. It took 10 minutes from start to finish as I had the veggies prepped already. One of those meals you can prep ahead and then cook in a flash. Even better I had a little toddler helper who really enjoyed all the beating of the eggs, the stirring and big bonus, he ended up eating a fair bit of carrot as we cooked.

Dietitian UK: Toddler cooks Healthy Spag carbonara

I used rice noodles because I fancied them and they are so quick to cook! You could of course use spaghetti. I didn’t add the parsley to this batch but it would make a great addition, as would bacon!

Dietitian UK: Healthy Spag carbonara

Heathy Pasta Carbonara - Gluten free
Serves 4
A healthy take on spaghetti carbonara
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
309 calories
40 g
198 g
10 g
14 g
4 g
261 g
445 g
5 g
0 g
4 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
261g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 309
Calories from Fat 88
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10g
15%
Saturated Fat 4g
22%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 198mg
66%
Sodium 445mg
19%
Total Carbohydrates 40g
13%
Dietary Fiber 3g
13%
Sugars 5g
Protein 14g
Vitamin A
134%
Vitamin C
30%
Calcium
22%
Iron
11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 large courgette
  2. 2 large carrots
  3. 60g mushrooms
  4. 100g green beans (I used purple ones)
  5. 150g Rice noodles
  6. The sauce
  7. 4 eggs
  8. 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
  9. 1 tbsp cream cheese
  10. 50g parmesan
  11. plenty of black pepper
  12. bunch of fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Spiralise the courgette and carrots.
  2. Chop the mushrooms and beans.
  3. Cook the noodles, in the last 3 minutes of cooking add the veggies.
  4. Whilst it cooks, whilst the eggs, add in the yoghurt and cream cheese.
  5. Drain and turn the cooker off.
  6. Quickly add the sauce to the pasta and stir in, the eggs will cook in the residual heat. Stir for a few minutes.
  7. Add plenty of pepper, the parmesan and the parsley.
  8. Serve with parmesan if wanted!
beta
calories
309
fat
10g
protein
14g
carbs
40g
more
Dietitian UK https://www.dietitianuk.co.uk/
Dairy Free, Family Meals, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Vegetarian, Wheat Free

Courgette and Chickpea Burgers

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I’m forever loving the idea of veggie burgers but am often disappointed by the result. You know what I mean… they fall apart or just look disappointing. In the back of my brain I have this memory of the burgers I used to eat when I was vegetarian as a teenager. In my head they were delicious, not homemade, but delicious and that is one of my benchmarks. My other benchmark is the burger they make in a cafe we sometimes end up at – a portabello mushroom with halloumi cheese and spinach. Just the most perfect combo.

So after a holiday I’ve come back inspired to try out new recipes and the veggie burger idea was back. Taking a few hints from the River Cottage guys these burgers not only tasted good,  held together well and were completely eaten, but my small people also had fun helping to make them. GENIUS. Get the kids to do the dirty work 😉

Here is the recipe. It’s a great way to get your veggies in. I’ve worked it out as being 1 portion of vegetables per burger, if you make them large. This recipe made 8 and I served 2 per adult, 1 per child, but my 5 year old and husband came back for seconds!

Here are the burgers before and after cooking:

Dietitian UK: Courgette and Chickpea Burger 2

Dietitian UK: Courgette & Chickpea Burgers 1

 

Courgette and Chickpea Burgers
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
236 calories
38 g
47 g
5 g
12 g
1 g
193 g
49 g
6 g
0 g
3 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
193g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 236
Calories from Fat 41
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g
7%
Saturated Fat 1g
5%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 47mg
16%
Sodium 49mg
2%
Total Carbohydrates 38g
13%
Dietary Fiber 9g
35%
Sugars 6g
Protein 12g
Vitamin A
66%
Vitamin C
36%
Calcium
7%
Iron
20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 2 medium courgettes (400g)
  2. 1 large carrot, peeled
  3. 2 cloves garlic
  4. 5 large radishes or 1/2 onion
  5. 100g dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked or 200g tinned (drained and rinsed)
  6. 100g oats
  7. 1 egg
  8. 1 large handful fresh herbs
  9. 1 tsp cumin
  10. 1 tsp ginger
  11. 1 tsp coriander
Instructions
  1. Use a food processor to grate the veggies.
  2. Now add the chickpeas and process to a thick paste.
  3. Add the oats, egg, herbs and spices for a quick blast in the food processor.
  4. Use your hands to shape into patties.
  5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and cook them for a few minutes each side. I pressed them down in the pan to make them thinner and a better shape.
  6. Transfer to the oven for 10-15 minutes at gas mark 5.
  7. Serve with homemade potato wedges and a side salad.
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calories
236
fat
5g
protein
12g
carbs
38g
more
Dietitian UK https://www.dietitianuk.co.uk/