I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I really love pine nuts. It’s kind of bordering on obsession. Only fueling my obsession is the pine nut shortage going on right now. I started noticing them disappearing from the grocery store a while back. My natural foods department always carried them, but the price kept going up and up, then finally the company we bought them from stopped supplying them. I’ve been buying them in the produce department in little 4 oz. packets for about $5. Suddenly they disappeared. Nooooo! A few weeks later, however, produce started carrying a different brand, same size, but almost double the price. I still buy them and feel a little guilty about the amount of money I spend, but I LURVE them!
These new ones are from China, and I run the risk of getting “pine mouth” from eating them, but so far so good. I think I may look into purchasing them on the internet. Or I could use a different nut, but I love pine nuts, darn it! Like I mentioned before, I like to toast them and add them to salads and quinoa dishes and make pesto. It’s also a great addition to pasta dishes. Since I’m still not eating sandwiches (yuck), I came up with an easy, nutritious and delicious lunch dish.
Tuna Pasta with Spinach, Pine Nuts and Olives
Low-FODMAP, Gluten-Free
Serves 2
Serves 2
1 cup gluten-free rice fusilli pasta, uncooked
2 cups torn baby spinach
1 – 5 oz. can tuna, drained
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. sliced black olives
1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, or until tender. While pasta is cooking, toast pine nuts in a dry non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often.
2. Place spinach in a colander and drain pasta over spinach to wilt it. Return pasta and spinach to saucepan and stir in the olive oil, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in tuna, pine nuts and olives. Serve warm.
That is too funny, because today I noticed that an 8oz. pkg of pine nuts was $19.99 (choke, gag, gasp). I didn't realize there was a shortage. Sometimes I think that is just an excuse used to jack the price up on something that is becoming popular.