Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Yogurt, Garlic and Spice Pasta

I know, yogurt and garlic don’t seem like two flavors that normally go together. Which is kind of true. I don’t often enjoy my morning cup of yogurt with a side of garlic powder. That would be weird. But I had a craving for a creamy pasta dish AND garlic, so the two polar opposites quickly became one.

So why not just indulge in a light Alfredo sauce ?  I wanted something different. Something with a spicy yet Meditterrean edge. My mind was on a beach in Santorini, so I was desiring something with a Greek flair. Cold weather makes me day dream, and I daydream in only food. What can I say, I’m a dedicated nut-case/foodie.

So how did this random combination of flavors end up tasting? Pretty good! E wasn’t a fan, but that’s to be expected. Yogurts makes him a bit nervous.  What I liked most about the dish was the flavor of the sauce. It wasn’t too garlicy and had just the right amount of Greek seasoning. Another win about this dish is how incredibly versatile it is. You can swap out any of your favorite veggies for the ones I used and spice it up to your hearts content. It’s a definite “what’s in your pantry” meal which is also great for people wanting a home-made meal without a store run!

Note: If you don’t have Greek spice, you can make your own! Just mix together the following:  1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried mint, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.

• 8 ounces of pasta [whole wheat preferred]
• 1 bunch of trimmed asparagus
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cups of mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 and 1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of evoo
• Pinches of sea salt and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon of Greek spice

How to Make It:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once water is boiling, add pasta and a dash of salt. Boil until pasta is al-dente. Rinse and set aside.
• In a separate saucepan, heat oil. Add onion and cook until browned; add mushrooms and cook until slightly tender.

• In a separate pan, cook asparagus until done. I used two pans because asparagus takes much longer to cook than the peas, mushrooms and onions!

• Add peas to the mushroom mixture and cook until vegetables are tender.

• Once asparagus is finished cooking, add to the mushroom, pea and onion mixture.
• Mesh garlic and salt together until garlic has turned into a paste. Mix garlic mixture with yogurt, lemon juice, oil and Greek seasoning. Take off heat and toss with pasta.

Dash with a little dried parsley and you’re good to go! Mmmmm!