A delicious pasta dish with black olives and heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats protect our hearts because they:
- Lower LDL cholesterol oxidation, the bad cholesterol.
- Don’t lower HDL, the good cholesterol.
- May have other beneficial effects: antiinflamatory, antithrombotic, antihypertensive, and vasodilatory.
- Decrease risk for coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and stroke.
When buying olive oil, always buy extra virgin olive oil. It may be a little more expensive but has fewer chemicals and lower antioxidant properties.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound linguini
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 1 zucchini, cut in cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt (optional)
Preparation:
Cook the linguini “al dente” in a pot with abundant water, ½ teaspoon of salt and 3 spoons of extra virgin olive oil. Drain linguini after done.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat Add the remaining olive oil. When warm add onion, zucchini and garlic. Stir. Before zucchini gets brown, add tomatoes, olives, and parsley. Stir.
Add linguini to the skillet and stir with the rest of the sauce. Serve very hot.
More recipes and information on the Mediterranean diet can be found here.
