Parsnip Pasta!

Welcome to my cooking blog! I am a big-time foodie and a devotee of the art and science of food. I'm sure I'll be talking a lot about the artistic and scientific merits of cooking for yourself (and others) in other posts, but for now I'll just say this: like every artist and scientist I know, I love to experiment. And there is nowhere I feel more comfortable experimenting than in the kitchen.

As many of you may know, I am a low-carb eater (which doesn't just mean I eat bacon all the time, thanks!). I also tend to cook gluten-free, because my sister (who I live with) is gluten intolerant. I also have a few friends that are gluten-intolerant as well. I have spent a long time figuring out how to accommodate my deep love of pasta in a way that's lower-carb and lower-calorie than using non-gluten grain pastas. I've done the spaghetti-squash thing for creating gluten-free pastas, but frankly, an alfredo deserves a better texture than spaghetti squash. Alfredo, in my opinion, also needs a "zip" that spaghetti squash can't provide.

One evening I was at the supermarket attempting to find daikon, a Japanese vegetable reputed to be excellent for making low-carb pasta "noodles." They didn't have daikon, but they did have parsnips -- and I vaguely recalled that parsnips were supposed be sweet and healthy -- a good possibility for pasta "noodles." Please note that parsnip pasta noodles, once cooked, are al dente.


This Nom Needs:
 4 large parsnips
1-12 oz. jar of alfredo sauce (or 12 ounces of homemade alfredo sauce, if you prefer to make your own)
2 portobello mushroom caps
1 Italian sausage link
1/4 cup shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese 

First rinse your parsnips, dislodging any dirt, and pat dry. Using a potato peeler, strip the parsnip of its tough outer peel.
 Keep in mind that parsnips have a "woody" center that you will have to avoid. You can find the woody center easily if you cut the very bottom end off the parsnip and look.
Avoiding the woody center, carefully slice the parsnip into strips, no more than 1/10 of an inch thick. Also slice your Italian sausage into pieces about 1/2 inch thick.
Once the parsnips are sliced, melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Place the parsnips in the melted butter and sauté, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes or until the strips are completely soft (but not limp). While the parsnips are cooking, place another pan on medium heat and pan-fry the Italian sausage until thoroughly cooked (this usually takes about the same amount of time as the parsnips). The sausage should be browned all the way through and about 160 degrees in the middle (hot, not cool, not even just warm).

After the parsnips are cooked through, add the alfredo sauce and turn the heat down to medium low and allow the mixture to simmer for several minutes.
While the parsnips + alfredo is simmering, remove the sausage from its pan, add a tablespoonful of olive oil, and place the mushroom caps in the pan. What I prefer to do is cook them in cap form for about 5 minutes on each side first.
Once they've cooked in cap form, remove them from heat and slice them into thick chunks, then return them to the pan and cook until they are soft but firm (usually about 10 minutes on medium heat). Once the mushrooms are done, ladle the pasta alfredo onto 2plates. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top, and then add the sliced mushrooms and sausage, and voilà! Servings: 2-3
Prep time: Approximately 15 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 30 minutes
Calories: About 330-550 per serving (the only sausage alfredo pasta recipe I could find using regular grain noodles is about 855 calories per serving)
What Else You're Getting: Potassium, fiber, vitamin C, folate, and manganese from the parsnips; protein, thiamin, B6, folate, magnesium, zinc, manganese, fiber, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.

Please note:  This recipe can be modified for lactose-intolerant by removing the Parmesan cheese and substituting lactose-free alfredo sauce; it can also be easily modified for ovo-lacto vegetarians.  Please note that most of my recipes are not vegan-friendly, even with modification.