Carbohydrates (carbs), proteins and fats are the three macronutrients that together constitute 95% or more by weight of the human diet (apart from water).
Very often carbs get a very bad reputation when it comes to weight gain. This is why it is very important to distinguish between what I would call “good natural carbs” and “bad refined carbs”.
Carbs are found almost exclusively in plant foods and are of three main types: sugars, starches and fibres. The body uses carbs as its main fuel source. They are vital to our health as they provide us with energy.
If we choose good natural carbs that are full of fibre such as: beans and legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains they will provide us with many important nutrients that are essentials for a healthy and balanced diet.
But if we choose refined and processed carbs and added sugars, we will not be adding any of the necessary fibre or the nutrients to our diet, only the calories!
Today’s recipe is a healthy and delicious wholemeal pasta dish: Spaghetti with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, zucchini & pine nuts. Pasta has a low Glycaemic Index (GI) but if overcooked its GI will rise. This is why pasta should always be cooked the Italian way “al dente”.
If you try this tasty and healthy Mediterranean pasta recipe, please let me know, leave a comment and rate it. I would love to know what you come up with. Enjoy!
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 dried cayenne peppers
- 3 Garlic cloves, pealed and finely sliced
- 1 Tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 Small zucchini, diced
- 200g (7 ounces) Wholemeal spaghetti
- A small bunch of chives, chopped
- Sea salt
- Have all the vegetables well washed and prepared as indicated in the ingredients description.
- Boil water in a large saucepan and add one tablespoon salt. Add the spaghetti pasta and stir. Follow the cooking instructions on the package and taste your pasta while it is cooking to avoid overcooking it and to make sure you cook the pasta “al dente”. Stir the pasta from time to time and when the cooking time indicated in the package is over and the pasta is al dente, remove from the heat. Run under cold water until the pasta has cooled and then drain.
- While the pasta is boiling, in a large frying pan heat one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over moderate heat, add the pine nuts and sauté for one minute until lightly golden. Add then the garlic and the dried cayenne peppers and sauté until golden. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt and sauté all together for three minutes. Finally add the drained spaghetti, the chopped chives and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir all together over moderate heat for 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, remove the cayenne peppers and serve hot.
