Spaghetti Carbonara

There are a couple ingredients of this recipe that make it high in saturated fat: bacon, cream, and cheese.  There are also a few healthy ingredients missing in this recipe, such as vegetables.  So I changed the recipe a little bit to make it a little healthier, but keep in mind this is still not a low calorie item.  Instead of using all cream,  I used part skim-milk and part cream.  I use lean center cut bacon, but you can also use lean turkey bacon.  I cut back on the amount of parmesan cheese.  I also added a bit of paprika to the sauce for a bit of sweet peppery flavor.  I use Barilla Plus spaghetti because it is higher in protein and fiber compared to regular pasta and has a better taste and texture than whole wheat pasta.

Paprika Carbonara

What you'll need:
- 2 slices center cut bacon, cooked until very crispy and crumbled
- half an onion, finely chopped
- 4 oz Barilla Plus spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cream
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil


What to do:
1. Saute spinach in olive oil until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes; remove and set aside
2. Saute onion about 3 - 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low.
3. In a bowl, mix together the egg, milk, cream, and paprika.  Add egg mixture, bacon, parsley, salt, and pepper, and pasta to the pan with the onion.  Stir together until mixture thickens. Be careful not to overcook. Serve over a bed of spinach.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese.  Recipe makes 2 servings.

Pita Stuffed with Lamb Meatballs and Tzatziki Sauce

Cucumber yogurt sauce is very common in Middle Eastern food, especially with kabobs.  This dish is somewhere between Middle Easter lamb kabobs and Greek lamb souvlaki.  Whatever you want to call it- this was delicious!

One ingredient I used is called Labneh.  Labneh is basically strained yogurt, so it is very thick.  There may be other processes involved so thicken more and make it creamier.  It is similar to Greek yogurt that you find in The States, but a little thicker higher in fat.  If you cannot find Labneh, plain Greek yogurt is a good substitute.  You could also use a mixture of Greek yogurt and cream cheese.  I use dill in the meatballs and sauce, but you can substitute mint.

Pita Stuffed with Lamb Meatballs and Tzatziki Sauce

What you'll need:
For the meatballs:
- 3/4 pound lean minced lamb
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp bread crumbs
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (or mint)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- pinch of salt and pepper

For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup light Labneh (or Greek Yogurt)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill (or mint)
-pinch of salt and pepper

- 4 whole wheat pitas, sliced in half and opened
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green pepper and red onion (optional)
- 4 tomato slices (optional)
- shredded lettuce (optional)

What to do:
1.  Use 1 tsp olive oil to saute shallots and red chili.  After about 3 minutes, turn off heat and add parsley and dill.  Let cool slightly.  Mix meat, egg, bread crumbs, shallot mixture, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Let rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

2.  Deseed the cucumber.  Depending on how chunky you want your sauce, you can either finely chop the cucumber by hand or use a food processor to mince it.  When finished, mix with the Labneh (or yogurt), garlic, dill, salt, and pepper.

3.  In a large, flat saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil.  When hot, add the meatballs.  Let the meatballs brown on each side, then lower the heat to allow the meat to cook on the inside.

4.  Stuff each pita half with 2 tbsp shredded lettuce, a few slices of green pepper and red onion, and a slice of tomato if desired; 2 meatballs, and 2 - 3 tbsp Tzatziki sauce.

Mom and Dad came to visit

It's taken me a while to get back to my website after my parents left.  We has so much fun while my parents were here that we took about a week to catch up on sleep.  Then there were tests, arranging hotel stays for our trip to Thailand, and just life in general.  I am so happy that my parents came to visit.  I had missed them very much, and it was fun to show them around Dubai.  I'm sure my dad has more pictures, but here are a few of mine to show all the fun things we did.

We met mom and dad at their hotel.  We had drinks at the rooftop bar.

This is the view from their hotel rooftop bar.

We took them on a dinner cruise along Dubai Creek.  You can sort of see Burj Khalifa in the background.

The dinner cruise comes with a magic show and this guy that spins and spins and spins for about 15 minutes straight all the while doing stuff with all the crazy skirts he is wearing.  Craziest part is that he can walk away in a straight line afterward.

We took them to Burj Khalifa to have drinks and bar food.  We got to watch the fountain from the 123rd floor.

Then we watched the fountain from the ground floor

We went to the Lime Tree Cafe for a snack and their famous and delicious carrot cake 

We went to the beach to get a good view of Burj Al Arab

Thanks for coming, Mom and Dad!  See you again soon!!!