I think it’s possible, when you work out, even with a trainer, and all you talk about is food the entire session, that you can gain weight just from the conversation.

I suffer through “squats” and some awful exercise called “mountain climbers” (I HATE those!) and my trainer yaks about not eating carbs but then we frequently wind up our session talking about all the wonderful pasta dishes his mother and grandmother used to cook.

Robbie is from an Italian family so he also mentions the braciole, the broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil, the cheesecake.

But, I digress from the no-carb thing.

Robbie recently mentioned that his grandmother made a spaghetti dish and topped it with breadcrumbs. He told me that a lot of old timers did that because grated cheese was so expensive and breadcrumbs were a good substitute.

I had to try it.

This dish is really good. Also cheap. Also easy to make for a quick dinner.

I’ll have to do even more mountain climbers to keep the pounds off I guess.

Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs

1 pound spaghetti

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

optional: mashed or chopped anchovies or 2 tablespoons rinsed capers

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook briefly. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and toasty. Add the parsley and lemon zest stir and cook for another minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, but reserve about a 1/2 cup of cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with the breadcrumb mixture and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and enough cooking water to moisten the pasta. Add the cheese and some salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and serve. Makes 4 servings

Quinoa may be au courant but I predict this is no fleeting trend. It is here to stay, an ingredient that will remain a staple in American kitchens.

First because it is so nutritious — a complete protein, so you can cut down on or cut out meat-eating. In poor countries in South America, where this grain comes from, pregnant mothers who can’t afford meat are encouraged to eat quinoa.

Second, because it is widely available, relatively cheap and easy to cook: you boil some water or stock, add the grain, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes and you’re done.

It’s also versatile. You can make it into salad, casseroles, stuffings and so on.

It tastes good too. A must for food!

And, as if all this wasn’t enough, you can use quinoa during Passover. Even though it is a grain.

It is not one of the prohibited grains.

That’s big for all who want to have a little something “starchy” with dinner during Passover and don’t want potatoes every day and don’t like the taste or consistency of Passover pasta products or who like variety in their diet.

Yesterday I gave a cooking demo for the UJA Federation of Greenwich Women’s Philanthropy and JCC Greenwich and prepared two Passover dishes, including Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Zucchini and Tomatoes. It was a big hit, no leftovers and everyone was amazed that the whole recipe took 17 minutes and it would have been shorter but we had to wait for the grains to cook.

This recipe is wonderfully fresh and Passover friendly. But you can enjoy it any time. Here it is:

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Tomatoes and Zucchini

1 cup quinoa

1 cup cut up asparagus (1-inch pieces)

1 cup bite-size pieces of zucchini

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse for a few seconds under cold water. Drain. Bring 1-1/2 cups water to boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the grains have absorbed the liquid. Spoon the quinoa into a bowl. Bring some more water to a boil in the pan. Add the asparagus and cook for 15 seconds. Add the zucchini and cook for another 15 seconds. Strain the vegetables, rinse under cold water and add to the quinoa. Add the tomatoes, scallions, dill and mint and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the olive oil and vinegar, toss and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings

Need  quickie vegetable for Thanksgiving?

Try roasted asparagus. It’s among the easiest of side dishes you can make. It looks good. Tastes good. You can make it in advance. Serve at room temperature. 

This is one of my go-to fall back dishes whenever I am stuck for an easy, veggie side dish, no matter what the occasion.

Roasted Asparagus

1 pound asparagus

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the asparagus and remove the woody portions at the bottom. Peel if very thick. Coat the asparagus with the olive oil. Place the asparagus on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 6-10 minutes, depending on thickness, or until barely tender. Let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with Balsamic vinegar. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings

You can serve this hot too: sprinkle the just-roasted asparagus with a squirt or two of lemon juice.

You can serve this topped with thin shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Need a quick soup for Rosh Hashanah? Try this Carrot and Parsnip Soup, which comes from my book Hip Kosher. Just a few ingredients. And ingredients can be substituted to make it fit in a meat, dairy or pareve meal. It can be frozen too, so you can make plenty and store it for when it’s cold outside and you need a good, light, but nourishing starter for dinner.

And also — it’s loaded with vegetables. That’s a good thing.

Carrots and parsnips are both sweet vegetables, which makes this soup particularly nice for Rosh Hashanah, when sweet foods are in order. While not quite as ubiquitous as honey, carrots have always been a key High Holiday food. The Yiddish word for carrot is “mehren,” which means to “increase” or “multiply,” and thus underscores wishes for good fortune and good deeds in the new year.

So here it is. Good, cheap and easy to make.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is slightly softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the carrots, parsnips, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper to taste and stir. Pour in the stock and one cup water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Puree the ingredients, return the soup to the pan and reheat to serve. Makes 4-6 servings

For cream soup: use vegetable stock; add 1/2 cup half and half cream; reheat.

For dairy soup: prepare soup with vegetable stock and serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or dairy sour cream

Garnish: with croutons or pita crisps

Pita crisps: brush pita bread wedges with olive oil and bake for 5-6 minutes at 400 degrees (or until crispy and browned)

Wow, I just read that pistachio nuts are “the ideal snack to aid in weight loss.” They aren’t as caloric as people once thought because apparently the human body doesn’t absorb all the fats in these nuts. Also, pistachios have good fats as well as antioxidants and minerals. (You can read the entire article here:  http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/137424/20110423/new-study-dubs-pistachios-the-skinny-nut-research-studies-weight-loss.htm)

I wonder if you can lose weight eating the amount of pistachio nuts I eat?

If there is one snack in life that I have absolutely loved since as long as I can remember, it’s pistachio nuts. I order them by the 5-pound bagful from NutsontheNet, because they sell great Turkish pistachios, which are the best kind.

Actually, Iranian pistachio nuts are the best but you can’t get them anywhere.

California pistachio nuts are absolutely horrible. They are dry and tasteless and most of the time they taste stale, even when they’re fresh.

I mean it. I am an expert on this subject. When I was a a youngster my brother Jeffrey and cousin Leslie and I would get pistachio nuts as a big treat from our parents or our Great Uncle, whom we called Feta. Jeffrey was the oldest so he doled the nuts out to the two of us little girls. Somehow he always doled out more for himself. Which wasn’t okay then and we would always fight about it but is okay now because I still tease him about it.

Anyway, I am a pistachio nut maven and I am telling you the Californias can’t compare to the Turkish ones, which are smaller and have a more intense flavor.

I eat pistachio nuts as a snack every night, so I am wondering why I am not shedding all those pounds??!!

I also use pistachio nuts for cooking. For example, on top of roasted salmon or pumpkin muffins or as a coating, along with bread crumbs, for fried fish. And lots of other things. A sprinkle here and there.

Here’s an easy dinner recipe for salmon (you could also use Arctic Char, but cook it for less time). You can find it in my book Hip Kosher, but for those who don’t have the book and want a delicious, easy, quick and healthy dinner, here it is:

Roasted Pistachio Crusted Salmon

4 salmon filets, each about 6 ounces, about 1-1/4 inches thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon peel

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons crushed pistachio nuts

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the salmon in a baking dish. Mix the olive oil, mustard and lemon peel and spread this mixture evenly over the surface of the fish. Sprinkle with pepper and scatter the nuts evenly on top. Roast for about 15 minutes, depending on thickness, or until nearly cooked through but still darker in the center. Makes 4 servings

Pumpkin spice is the seasoning of the season. Not just for pie and cake. You see the words “pumpkin spice” everywhere, even for things like tea and coffee. Of course you really don’t get the pumpkin, just the spices that go with the pumpkin if you were making a pie.

So for all those pumpkin spice lovers, here’s a REALLY QUICK recipe you can make even an hour before Thanksgiving dinner or anytime at all. It’s for ice cream with all the fresh, warm spices we associate with the season.

This recipe takes about 5 minutes. The only thing you have to do ahead is remember to take the ice cream out of the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to soften.

If you are ambitious and have a few minutes more, spoon it into a graham cracker crust and you’ll have a pie. If you’re even more ambitious, grind up some gingerbread cookie crumbs (1-1/2 cups) mix them with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and press them into a 9-inch pie pan. Refrigerate the crust for an hour, then spoon the ice cream inside and freeze.

Quick Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened

1 cup mashed pumpkin (canned is fine)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Place ingredients in a bowl and mix ingredients thoroughly to blend them completely until smooth and uniform in color. Return to the freezer until chilled completely. Makes slightly more than one quart