Women’s Health Recipe

Since we just celebrated Mother’s Day, we thought a post about some superfoods for women might be in order!

INSPIRATION: I made an asparagus and sardine pasta. I’ve had some asparagus frozen fresh from last season hanging around that it was time to use, and we always keep some packs of wild caught sardines in olive oil on hand in the cabinet. Read on for the health benefits of these two main ingredients…

HEALTH BENEFITS: The sardines have calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. It is especially helpful to build this into your diet in the winter months when we aren’t getting outside as much to soak up sunlight on our skin and generate vitamin D. The calcium and vitamin D paired together help with your body’s absorption and bone health.
Added note about sardines: for those moms in pregnancy, sardines will give you the health benefits of fish with low levels of mercury. Those moms that are breastfeeding, sardines will help the quality of your milk.

Asparagus contributes to the bone building action with some vitamin K. It also is a solid source of folate (healthy pregnancy), fiber, antioxidants, and potassium (lower blood pressure).

COOKING: I made a sauce using the sardines, garlic, onion, olive oil, and the asparagus finely chopped. If you don’t have sardines on hand, I’ve also made similar recipes with anchovies and mackerel, which are great substitutes with their own health benefits.

I am using two pounds of linguine, but if I had a fusilli that would be my preference because the shape would capture some of the flavors of this dish. For this amount of pasta, I use two medium size onions, three cloves of garlic, and two, two-ounce cans of sardines. I start with a generous drizzle of olive oil in the pan, then sauté the minced garlic and onions. When they are close to translucent, I add in the sardines, and after mixing this in with the other ingredients, I add the asparagus. While I am grabbing for ingredients, I see some lemon from a yogurt, dill, and lemon sauce I made for salmon earlier in the week, and also some capers. Both feel like a nice addition, so I squeeze about half a lemon in the pan and add maybe a tablespoon of capers.
Note about the asparagus: I finely cut the asparagus (see photo below), but mainly because I know my bunch will be most receptive to smaller pieces. Tweak the size for your preference!

A couple other thoughts based on your health needs. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat; it raises your good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers your bad cholesterol (LDL), in addition to other health benefits. It is a safe and healthy choice, but if you are trying to limit added oils:

Instead of canned seafood in olive oil, find canned seafood in own juices or water.
Instead of olive oil, use pasta water as a base or broth (vegetable or chicken)

If your blood pressure and sodium intake is a concern:

Be mindful of added salt and lean into the flavor from the capers, lemon, and naturally salty addition of sardines.

Stay tuned for more recipes, information, and adventures ... buon appetito!

For more information, inquiries about one-on-one visits with a dietitian, or other questions, please feel free to contact us at info@cultivatewnc.com

PICTURES:

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Snack Attack !!