Zesty Veggies, Beans, and Pasta

One of the most flavorful dinners I have cooked so far!

6-8 ounces whole-grain pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1/2 large sweet red pepper, chopped

1/2 large sweet green pepper, chopped

3 fork-fulls minced garlic

6 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

14-16 ounces fresh kale, chopped

1 cup fresh coriander, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

black pepper

2% milk cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook pasta. I added a little table salt to the water. I also undercooked it so that I could leave it in the hot water to stay warm without overcooking the pasta. 

Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion and peppers until soft. Add garlic and saute. I finished the container, so I just dumped the whole thing in--this added some extra liquid. Add kale and coriander in small amounts, allowing it to cook down before adding more. It is amazing how much it cooked down. The skillet would have been overflowing if I had added it all at once.

Add tomatoes and beans. Simmer, uncovered, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, lemon juice, and pepper. 

Plate pasta first. Then top with desired amount of cheese. Then top with veggie and bean mixture. Then sprinkle more cheese on top!

How was it?

DELICIOUS!! I feel part of it was because I used 2% cheese instead of fat-free. But my nutritionist is encouraging me to eat more balanced. And someone else pointed out that eating fat-free cheese is really unnatural because cheese naturally has fat added to it. 

The dish really was bursting with flavor. I was very pleased with it. The pasta and the beans make it hearty enough to be filling. 

And I made sure I only filled my plate once! So no binging on it.

P.S. Awful body-image lately. The binging has helped me to put on a lot of weight. My doctor is happy. But I am not so sure. But I must not restrict. I must not backslide. I just need to convert the possible fat to muscle!

Socks for the day......

One of my favorite pair. And I even have them on the correct feet!

Recipe adapted from Reader's Digest One Dish Meals The Easy Way