Greetings friends. Sorry for my absence last week. The flu bug hit my house and therefore my blogging but don't worry. All of us have recovered and are getting back to normal.
Before I dish on some incredible news, go put some water on because today's lunch has pasta in it. Don't forget the salt and olive oil.......
Today I'm honoring the goddess of television Oprah Winfrey. Last week I received a newsletter/email update from Oprah saying she was taking her life class on tour. There will be two tapings in St. Louis Missouri and two tapings in New York City. With the speed of lightning I filled out forms for all four show tapings, naming my friend Susie as my guest, and hoped for the best.
For about 12 to 15 years now or maybe even 20, it depends who's telling the story, Susie and I have always known that one day we would get to meet Oprah, we would be on or at her show, and we would be together. That day has finally arrived. On March 26th Susie and I will be at the Live on -air taping of The Oprah Winfrey Life Class Tour.
Just this morning we discovered that our friend Kim also has tickets to the show and creative wonder teacher and blogging friend Shannon Kinney is on the waiting list for the same show we have tickets too. Wouldn't that be great if Shannon and I could meet? If ever you feel like taking an incredible and inspiring find your "self" class, Shannon's Inside Out is the one to take. It is so creative and nurturing. I just loved it ! But I digress back to lunch right?
Today in honor of the joy and excitement of going to see Oprah, today's lunch is on her. This is one of her favorites and will quickly become one of yours. It's delicious. Almost verging on divine.
Vegetable Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
- 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 slices turkey bacon, chopped
- 1 cup chopped seeded red bell pepper
Preparation
1. Cook peas and asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Combine pasta and vegetables.
2. Combine cheese and the next 3 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add hot cooking liquid to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Add bacon to pasta mixture. Cook bell pepper in drippings for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat, and stir in egg mixture. Return pan to low heat; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring constantly.
The original recipe is from Cooking Light. I only used 2 eggs instead of 3 and I also added zucchini and yellow squash. I substitued bacon with Turkey bacon.
Here's wishing you a happy lunch. I'd love to know what you're eating for lunch this week. Please just leave me a comment with a link to your post and I'll come drop by for lunch. Bon Appetit y'all.
