I absolutely love pasta … who doesn’t really? I am Italian and well we are sort of brought up on pasta. But since the last 6-8 years I have noticed that I would always feel exhausted after eating it which later also caused bloating and weight gain. It didn’t look to me as an unhealthy meal at first. Pasta which is a grain and tomatoes = simple ingredients. The problem is that the pasta we consume nowadays is processed and has been altered from the ancient grain wheat we started with. Wheat spikes our blood sugar levels just like a candy. Triggering inflammation in your body and causing weight gain. Also it is difficult to digest and to break down, hence all the increasing gluten sensitivities among people.

Still giving up such delicious and variable meal was not an option I wanted to find some alternatives.

So I discovered other types of pasta like rice, kamut, buckwheat, quinoa… They don’t have any particular flavour (just like  pasta) what changes is the consistency among them. Which I enjoy quite a lot. If I want to do a pad thai I would opt for the rice noodles or if I want to cook an Italian dish I would probably use buckwheat or quinoa. These alternatives grains or seeds (quinoa technically is not even a grain but a seed) are far more easily digestible and beneficial to your health. Since I have discovered these I haven’t experienced any negative post symptoms. Quinoa is high in amino acids being an excellent source of protein.

Usually these alternatives to pasta cook much faster than the traditional one. Even better, you have more time to do your thing. I have decided to use quinoa pasta which is a mix of corn and quinoa, no wheat and gluten free. This recipe took 10 minutes total time, as it cooks in only 6-8 minutes. Usually I would cook pasta with vegetables to create a balance. Plus this way I eat more veggies and less pasta.

This zucchini and tomatoes is perfection. I have always liked the combination of fresh tomatoes and zucchini. If you prefer to use other vegetables feel free. The choice is yours and the cooking process is pretty much the same depending on the vegetables used.

Recipe:

– 1 serving of quinoa pasta about 120 grams (almost 2 cups)

– 1 zucchini sliced

– 3-4 cherry tomatoes

– 2 tbsp of olive oil

Boil the water and cook the pasta according to instructions. On a pan or grill put 1 tbsp of olive oil and when heated cook the sliced zucchini. They don’t need much time as they cook very quickly about 2 minutes per side. Drain the pasta when ready and add to the pan with the zucchini. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the tomatoes. Cook for another 2 minutes and serve.