Weekend Roundup: Spaghetti Carbonara & Chow Ciao

Boy did this weekend fly by. I was fibro flaring all weekend so I spent the majority of my time in bed. Still I was productive and was able to spend time in my kitchen despite the pain and fatigue. On Saturday night I was knee deep in my usual food blog surfing and recipe tastespotting. I made my way over to Yahoo! Shine’s Chow Ciao with Fabio Vivianni. Chow Ciao is one of my favorite online food shows but to my dismay Chef Fabio hadn’t uploaded any new cooking tutorials in a long while The most recent video was his quick and easy Spaghetti Carbonara. A stroke of inspiration hit and I quickly scratched down a modified gluten free, meat free, and lighter version of this classic dish. Of course this recipe became Sunday’s dinner and it was more than amazing. Mushrooms are a great meat substitute and my addition of greens added depth to the dish. Seriously, Chef Fabio cooks up some wonderful dishes on his show. His fun loving personality and sometimes crass and camp sense of humor make it a must see just like my recipe featured below. What inspired you this weekend? Let me know in the comment section.

Skinny Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara inspired by Chef Fabio’s Spaghetti Carbonara
2 ounces corn or other gluten free dry pasta
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 small cooking onion, diced
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 cup chopped greens
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil, to coat pan
1 tablespoon earth balance
3 tablespoons light cream
1/4 tablespoons liquid egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/4  cup +1 tbsp grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
To taste: salt, cracked black pepper, onion and garlic powder
fresh lemon for juice

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta, a pinch of salt and cover. Cook pasta to desired consistency about 10-15 minutes.
2. Coat a medium cast iron skillet with olive oil and earth balance over medium heat. Add onions,garlic,mushrooms,and greens. Season well and sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes. Add vinegar and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low.
3. Drain water from pasta and immediately add hot pasta to skillet tossing pasta with the sautéed veggies. Quickly mix in egg whites, veggie broth, light cream, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Toss until pasta is well coated with cream sauce. Add salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
4. Plate pasta and top with 1 tbsp parmesan and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Makes about 3 servings.

P.S Be sure to pick up Chef Fabio’s latest cookbook: Fabio’s Italian Kitchen