Healthy Artichoke Pasta

My sort of Aunt Judy (who gave us the amazing mashed potato recipe) is pictured here with the Johnson Family, she is in the blue. I was very excited when I got an email with her healthy artichoke pasta recipe. Judy is a great cook and she focuses on a healthy eating lifestyle. I can honestly say that Judy looks younger now than she did when I was a kid! See what good food can do for you? From Judy: (My notes are in green!)

This is the description of the Carino's dish from their menu. (It's one of their lowest calorie dishes.)
Angel Hair with Artichokes
Delicious artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, chopped garlic, tangy capers, fresh basil, black olives and Parmesan cheese tossed with angel hair pasta. Add sliced grilled chicken or shrimp.
If you used Shrimp rather than Chicken you would lower calories even more.

Here's my version. I make it fairly often, usually with the Shirataki noodles (20 calories per serving!). It's a one-skillet meal. I almost always add fresh spinach. It's a pretty dish as well as healthy and tasty. Not only is this low calorie but using the tofu noodles makes it South Beach Diet Friendly!

Artichoke Pasta (Judy)
Serves 2-4.

1 pkg Shirataki Noodles (or 1-2 cups cooked angel hair pasta)
1/8 cup Olive Oil (or more)
1/2 med onion, diced
4 cloves garlic (or more)
1 can Artichokes, drained (if using water-packed, Progresso is best) Remember you can also use frozen Artichoke hearts, they have a little less sodium
1 small jar Capers (about 1/8 cup), drained
1/2 - 1 can Black olives, drained (either small pitted olives or sliced)
2-4 med Roma tomatoes, diced
Fresh Basil (or dried Italian spices if necessary)
1 med boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced and cut into bite sized pieces (Opt)
A few handfuls of fresh spinach (opt) I love wilted spinach, Judy says this is optional but it would be mandatory for me!
Mushrooms, (opt)

1-Prepare the Shirataki noodles or pasta and set aside.
2-In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute a bit more. Then add the garlic and saute just a minute or so (don't burn).
3-If using dried spices, add it now. If using fresh basil (better), wait until the end.
4-If using chicken, add it next and saute until done. Take care not to get the heat too high because you don't want to burn the garlic.
5-Add noodles, artichokes, olives, and capers. Stir until heated. If needed, add a little more olive oil and/or garlic.
6-If using spinach, add it and cover the pan long enough to wilt it.
7-Stir the spinach in, then add diced tomatoes and fresh basil. Cover until warm.
8-Serve with fresh Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Here's the Info on Shirataki Tofu Noodles. I get them at Whole Foods, in the refrigerated Tofu section. A two-serving bag is about $1.65 and has only 40 calories (20 cal per serving!). Use in place of pasta/noodles. I've never been able to find the angel hair style, but I hear they're very good. The spaghetti style noodles are MUCH better than the Fettuccine style noodles.

http://www.house-foods.com/our_products/popup/tofu_shirataki_1.html

Important to prepare them like this:
1. Dump them into a mesh strainer and rinse *very* well. (Try to avoid smelling that nasty brine!) I usually cut through them a few times with scissors because they're really long.
2. Now throw them into a hot, dry non-stick skillet and "stir-fry" for a few minutes. You'll know when they're done because they'll get drier and start to stick a little bit. You can skip this step, but it makes a lot of difference in the end result.
3. Use in your fave recipe in place of pasta. I do lots of quick one-skillet meals using them. The texture is slightly different than real pasta, but the taste of the recipe will be remarkably similar. (I've used these with Jeff and Debi in the Artichoke pasta and neither knew.) Jeff is Judy's son, I love that she fooled him into eating healthy :)

Thanks Judy, this sounds delicious and the noodles are a great diet tip!