The Cardiologist's Wife

Pimento Cheese, Not Your Grandma's Spread

Pimento cheese is one of those foods that has been so corrupted by the food industry that it has become synonymous with other crappy foods like Spam. I'm not even certain what store bought pimento cheese might contain, nor do I want to find out. It's a shame because pimento cheese can be a delightful treat, even if it does Read the full post…

Plum Good BBQ Sandwiches

In a few days it will officially be fall but the temperatures are still warm enough for me to continue swimming for a few more days. The breeze was a little cool but that didn't stop me from swimming several laps this morning and I felt great afterwards! Have you exercised lately? With fall's cooler temperatures and fewer insects, you Read the full post…

Shingles Vacine and Treatment

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with shingles so I felt I should discuss this nasty virus once again. If you ever had chicken pox, you are at risk for getting shingles and believe me, you don't want it. Shingles is a painful rash with blisters that scab over and may take 4 weeks or more to heal. The Read the full post…

Vegetarian Tacos are muy delicioso!

There are times when I think I could easily become a vegetarian, especially when I try a new dish that is as good as the vegetarian tacos I had at Local Lime restaurant in Little Rock and the tofu fried rice at Sai Tai here in Jonesboro. My husband and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary this past weekend by spending Read the full post…

Midyear Health Check

Summer is winding down , the year is more than half way over and our January resolutions are long forgotten. It's time for a health reality check. First of all, how is your health lately? If you have enjoyed good health, are you thankful? Take some time to appreciate how wonderful it feels to be healthy, for your family to Read the full post…

Vacation Lessons For A Healthier Life

I'm back from a lovely beach vacation and I wish I was still there with all my heart. Wouldn't it be nice if our every day life was as nice as a vacation? If we could relax, eat well, sleep and exercise just enough without having to worry about bills, work, illnesses and school, our lives would be perfect. But Read the full post…

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Pumpkin Love! Tortellini With Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

[ Post by Lisa Tedder ][ Post on September 20, 2012 ][ In For new Mom's, Pasta ]

See, even my cat loves pumpkins!

We all need a repertoire of easy recipes that are crowd pleasers for those days when we have no time to cook or are simply tired. This pasta dish certainly fits the bill but don’t let the pumpkin stop you. I love pumpkins but I realize not everyone has embraced them the way I do. My father did not like pumpkin in any form. He grew up in a large family and his father died when he was about three. One winter, his family didn’t always have enough to eat but for some reason, they had a bumper crop of pumpkins. As you can imagine, my father grew sick of eating pumpkin but at least it was nutritious.

I use pumpkins in smoothies (see my recipe under snacks and appetizers), make pumpkin bread, cookies, pancakes and bars, and it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie as I’m sure my regular readers remember. Pumpkin is low in calories, rich in fiber and anti-oxidants, especially vitamin A. Pumpkins actually contain 245% of your recommended daily allowance of good old vitamin A! The seeds, also known as pepitas, are high in fiber and protein but have no cholesterol. Low in fat, the seeds are great sprinkled on salads, eaten as snacks and used in a variety of other recipes. If you want to cook your own pumpkin to use in recipes, make sure you get a pie pumpkin but canned pumpkin is just fine for any recipe you have. What’s not to love?

Back to the recipe of the day. I came across this recipe in the latest issue of Food Network magazine and just had to try it. (Aren’t you glad I vet recipes for you?) I whipped this up in less than 30 minutes the other day and my daughter and I loved it. No one else was home as my husband was out of town and my son is now at college but I know they would like it too. You could use this as a side dish to most any meat as well as a main dish. Yes, it does call for heavy cream which has about 800 calories in one cup. You can substitute half and half (about 315 calories) or a combination of skim milk and heavy cream to save fat and calories. I do this regularly.)

Tortellini With Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

2 9 oz. packages of cheese tortellini

1 small shallot, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more to garnish

pepper to taste

parsley to garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook tortellini according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, drain pasta. Heat oil in pasta pot and cook shallot until slightly soft, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and nutmeg, cook and stir 1 minute. Add cream and bring to a low boil. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in cheese and pasta, adding water if necessary to thin. Sprinkle with pepper and parsley. Serve immediately.

I served this with a side of frozen asparagus that was simply dressed with Brummel and Brown spread, salt and pepper. This is comfort food at it’s finest and for those of you who think, “Pumpkin? Yuk!”, the pumpkin taste is subtle and I bet you wouldn’t be able to guess the ingredient. However it ups the nutritional value and you could get it by your kids if they reject vegetables.