Dinner in 30 thanks to 'Steamers in 5'

You’ve just gotta love a healthy dinner that goes together in under 30 minutes, with just a few dishes to clean up, and a minimum of ingredients. That’s where ‘Steamers in 5’ come in so handy.

Steamers in 5 is one of those quickie products that you really ought to have in the freezer for a fast meal on those weeknights when time and patience is short.

Tonight, I made a whole wheat spaghetti with my own homegrown tomatoes and squash, with locally grown spinach from Hungry Mother down in Carson City, Nevada, and these nice small steamer clams.

First I got the pot of water on the boil for the whole wheat spaghetti. Then went on to prep all the tomatoes and squash into nice bite-sized chunks. When that was ready, I put the spaghetti into the boiling water with a stir and set the timer to 10 minutes - which is what it takes for al dente pasta here at 4,200 ft. Then I put the steamers into the microwave with one hole in the plastic cover, for microwaving.

While the spaghetti and steamers were doing their thing, I started sauteing the veggies in a nice big aluminum chef skillet. It was already warm and had the olive oil in it.  Now really, you could take so many different vegetables - whatever you have on hand - and work it into this dish. In that sense, it’s really thrifty, using up what you have. As the veggies start to saute, I begin braising them by adding some white wine. What kind of white wine, you ask? Whatever I’m drinking. In this case, pinot grigio. I also took a ladle of the boiling pasta water and put that in, too.

In order to add depth and round out the flavors, I put in about a tablespoon each of the mushroom demi glace and the fish base that I’ve talked about in other posts. Seasoning is simple: salt, pepper and a dash of italian seasoning blend (no salt).  A squeeze of fresh lemon juice is nice, too.

When the pasta was ready, I drained it and added it into the skillet - with the hot clams and the sauce on them. Oh, my the aroma is getting really good now. It’s just a matter of reducing the heat to barely a simmer, put a lid on and let it cook for about 5 minutes while I set the table.

The Steamers in 5 has ingredients a grandmother could love - she’d recognize them all. And the sodium content in negligible - about 3%. These folks ‘get it’.

So, how did it all turn out? Mr. Maven was enthusiastic and nosing around for a second helping. That speaks volumes.

Actually, dinner was ready in about 20 minutes - which gave me time to sit and watch some news and sip a bit of wine before we got to it. Yum.

You might want to read about the folks who create the Steamers in 5 product, they have a nice website, with recipes and a whole lot of information about the sustainable cultivation and harvesting of their oysters, and about a new ‘fresher under pressure’ technique which allows your to serve and consume really safe, pathogen free oysters.

How healthy is your pasta? Depends on how much.

Way back in the day, when low-fat or no-fat was being touted as the cure-all and sure path to weight loss, I made a huge mistake. I listened to it and didn’t ask the right questions.

Oh, boy … did I ever pack on the pounds.

Now, 30 lbs or so lighter (and that’s been the case for about 10+ years ), I fully understand that staying a healthful weight isn’t that simple.

Portion control - aka calories - and becoming a food activist and deciding that you only eat whole grain pasta (and breads) is the only real way to keep the scale - and your waistline - in their places.

We only buy whole grain breads and pastas here. And I really do find that whole grain pastas are very filling, despite the much smaller portions in relation to the vegetables and marinara style sauces and toppings.

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