I'm not a fan of the cold, flu season or any of the nastiness that goes along with winter. But despite the dreariness of January, we also get the chance to start over and reset. A fresh start. I'll focus on that.
I welcome 2017 and the chance for a fresh start with open arms! If I've learned anything from last year, it's that I need to have more patience. Big. Time.
I recently watched a video of the dogs playing that my daughter took on her phone. As I watched the video back, I heard barking. But the barks weren't coming from the dogs, they were coming from me!! Yikes! There I was yelping like a lunatic in the background to get this done and put that away. I was horrified at the level of intensity in my voice! I sounded like a crazy person! Insert cringe emoji.
"Chill woman. What is wrong with you?!" That was all I could think as I watched this video back. So there you have it. My resolution for 2017 is to try and "chill" more.
To accomplish this goal, I've been taking extra yoga classes and meditating more often. I recently downloaded a guided meditation app on my phone that I sometimes do at night. Just five to ten minutes of quiet peaceful meditation does wonders. The kids even became curious and decided to give it a try (not without some giggles here and there). On the nights we meditate, we noticed how we fall asleep faster and more peacefully. And the best part is, it's something that we can do together.
Meditation is such a powerful tool in helping to relieve the stress and anxiety of everyday life. Over time these daily stresses can have detrimental health consequences which can lead to mindless eating, obesity and certain types of addictions.
Give it a try yourself and see how you feel. Well + Good did a roundup of the best mediation apps for beginners, so if you're interested check it out here. I'd love to hear about your experiences or if you've tried it before. I'm a huge fan so far!
OK. Back to January and this recipe.
It's so fitting that citrus fruits are in season because they just give winter that perfect bright lift it needs! Meyer lemons are a bit sweeter than regular lemons and have a distinct flavor that is really perfect for brightening up salads and pasta dishes such as this one! The fresh herbs also give it a distinctly bright and refreshing taste.
I love this recipe because it's on the lighter side and quick enough for a weeknight meal. You won't mind eating whole wheat pasta because the earthiness of the whole wheat linguine goes so well with the creamy, citrusy sauce, the herbs and the slightly salty flavor of the grated cheese. You have a good amount of freedom with this recipe in that you can go crazy with different herbs, more cheese or lemon juice. It's all up to your taste buds. Just don't forget to reserve some pasta water (like I always do) before you strain the cooked linguine! You need this salty, starchy water to make a great tasting sauce.
I hope you join me in raising a mug of cozy chamomile to 2017! Cheers and namaste!
Linguine with Meyer Lemon Mascarpone Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb. whole wheat linguine
- ½ cup juice from 2 meyer lemons + zest from one lemon
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced depending on your love of garlic
- ⅓ cup or more mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup chopped herbs such as parsley and basil rosemary and chives would be nice also! plus more for garnishing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- about ½ cup reserved pasta water
- grated pecorino romano cheese
- ¼ cup chopped pine nuts
- coarse salt
- freshly grated pepper
Instructions
- Cook linguine as directed in a large pot of salted water and reserve some of the pasta water as indicated above.
- In meantime while the linguine is cooking, place the garlic, herbs, oil, juice and a pinch of salt in a small mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Transfer cooked pasta back to the pot and add the juice/herb mixture, half of the reserved pasta water.
- Stir in the mascarpone cheese.
- If the pasta is not creamy enough for your liking, here is where you can add a little bit more pasta water and mascarpone.
- Serve the pasta with the grated cheese, some more of the herbs, lemon zest, pine nuts and freshly grated pepper.
Just saw this on Instagram and had to check out the recipe-it looks AMAZING! I am lucky to have a lemon tree ((Eureka, not Meyer) that produces lemons almost year round, so I will be trying this w/ gluten free pasta ASAP! And, YES to meditation!! I started last year using the Calm app. It's not something I do every day, but I've kept up the habit 3-5 times/week for the past year, and I think it's really helped me a lot to de-stress and sleep better. Happy New Year!
Hi there! Happy New Year to you as well! Thanks so much for checking out the post! So jealous about your lemon tree! You live in California right? Must be such a dream although, I heard a lot of much needed rain lately? I'm going to check out that Calm app. I'm still experimenting. I'm new to the at home meditation but do a good amount in yoga so I've gotten better and better at it. So interesting that you really do need to practice it regularly to get good at it. But any little bit helps.
This was delicious! I searched by ingredients (mascarpone, lemon, pasta) which I had on hand. Simple easy preparation with excellent results. This will be included in meal rotation, although I will use other lemons when Meyer are not in season. Thank you for a great recipe. Dinner for six that everyone enjoyed. Thank you for this recipe. My interest was piqued by some others on your blog as well, can't wait to try more!
How awesome to hear Janice!! Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I just made this after googling “lemons and mascarpone.” This is SO good! What a great, quick meal to pull together. The flavor is incredible!
Thanks Laruen! You made my day!! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂