2011 Food Trends, Resolutions, and a Recipe for Walnut Pasta Pancake (Podcast #129)

by The Meal Makeover Moms on January 7th, 2011

Happy New Year everyone! On this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we share some delicious food trend predictions for 2011, toss out some Meal Makeover Mom nutrition resolutions that we hope you’ll consider (if you haven’t already), and cook up a nutrient-packed recipe for Walnut Pasta Pancake. The recipe is from our first cookbook, The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers and appears in the vegetarian chapter.

Walnut Pasta Pancake featuring whole wheat spaghetti, frozen mixed veggies, Eggland’s Best Eggs (a brand we like because it’s higher in nutrients such as vitamin D and omega-3 fats) and calcium-rich mozzarella cheese. Read on for the recipe …

Food Trends for 2011
When the National Restaurant Association surveyed chefs across the U.S. and asked them to identify their top food trend predictions for 2011, here’s what they came up with (we’re especially fond of Trends 4, 6, 13 and 18):

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Sustainability
4. Nutritionally balanced children’s dishes
5. Hyper-local (e.g. restaurant gardens, do your own butchering)
6. Children’s nutrition
7. Sustainable seafood
8. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
9. Simplicity/back to basics
10. Farm/estate-branded ingredients
11. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
12. Locally-produced wine and beer
13. Half-portions/smaller portion for a smaller price
14. Organic produce
15. Nutrition/health
16. Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients)
17. Newly fabricated cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, Petite Tender)
18. Fruit/vegetable children’s side items
19. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g. Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
20. Artisan cheeses

A Recipe for Walnut Pasta Pancake:

Looking for new ways to eat better in the New Year? Jumping on the Meatless Monday bandwagon? Searching for strategies to get more whole grains and veggies into the family die? Look no more. This recipe has it all!

Our mise en place for Walnut Pasta Pancake includes a new pasta product we tried for the first time called Jovial, featuring Einkorn, the most ancient wheat. Einkorn is more nutritious than today’s modern wheat. It’s higher in protein, contains a significant amount of lutein, an antioxidant that’s good for eye health, and is high in the B vitamin, thiamin.

The recipe calls for 3 ounces of  spaghetti. If you don’t have a scale, here’s a hint: 3 ounces is about 80 strands of spaghetti!

Walnut Pasta Pancake

Makes 5 Servings

  • 3 ounces dried whole wheat spaghetti
  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables, or frozen baby broccoli florets, thawed
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup pasta sauce, warmed

1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, vegetables, Parmesan cheese, walnuts, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt until well blended.

2.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the egg mixture and flatten evenly with a spatula.  Cook until the bottom turns golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.  While the pancake is cooking, preheat the broiler.

3.  Top the pancake evenly with the mozzarella cheese and place the skillet under the broiler. If the handle is plastic, wrap it in aluminum foil or slide the pancake carefully onto a large baking sheet.  Broil until the top turns golden brown and the cheese melts, about 3 minutes.

4.  Slice and serve with warm pasta sauce.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 slice): 360 calories, 19g fat (5g saturated), 530mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 19g protein, 25% vitamin A, 25% calcium, 15% iron

Print Recipe

Food & Nutrition Resolutions from The Meal Makeover Moms:

> Go outside your culinary comfort zone by serving new and novel foods to your family.

> Celebrate vegetables and avoid the temptation to “hide” or “sneak” them into your meals.

> Eat more whole grains and give quinoa a try!

> If you have picky eaters at home, don’t let on that you know they are picky. Research shows that parents of picky eaters often give up on things like fruits and vegetables because they think it’s a lost cause.

> Cook more meals at home and get organized by meal planning each week. Two great meal planning resources include the fabulous blog, I’m an Organizing Junkie and the new book, The 7-Day Meal Planner for Dummies.

Happy eating in 2011. Listen to our podcast for more predictions and for some of YOUR nutrition resolutions.

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2 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Eggs, Grains, Pasta, Podcast, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

2 Responses to “2011 Food Trends, Resolutions, and a Recipe for Walnut Pasta Pancake (Podcast #129)”

  1. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) on January 8th, 2011

    I love all of the ingredients in this! It looks yummy.

  2. Ray Husk on July 8th, 2011

    What an intriguing site! Many thanks

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