Thanks to alternative flours, now there's a pasta for every body! I used brown rice penne for tonight's meal.
"Everything you see, I owe to pasta." Sophia Loren said that, and to me, it looks like pasta served her well. And it's serving me well, too, these days.
While pasta is not on my favorites list, there is something comfortable about tossing together a nice bowl of noodles and sauce, popping the cork on a bright red wine, and settling in for a lingering meal and friendly chatter.
With all the alternative pastas available now, there really is a pasta for everyone. I chose a favorite brown rice penne for this meal that the entire family approves and that doesn't mind me over-cooking it because I always do. I prefer mine al dente and everyone else prefers it cooked...to...death. So, that's how I cook it. Pick your battles. Here's our menu:
Thursday's Menu ~ Mama mia!
Please take a moment to visit my Contributor page to see the great products that I use to make these meals for my family!
Whole Foods Market~Alpharetta Harry's provided all ingredients for this meal, with the exception of the flours used, which are courtesy of King Arthur Flour.
Brown Rice Pasta with Tomato Sauce (my little concoction)
Balsamic-Marinated Strawberry Salad (a slightly modified version of this recipe from Bonnie Walton)
Hearty Dinner Rolls (check out this post to get the low down on the fantabulous vegan bread recipe that I used for these rolls - instead of white rice flour, I used an equal amount of King Arthur Brown Rice Flour)
Strawberry Sorbet (store bought) sandwiches
The sauce is a simple one that I make - my family cannot imagine pasta sauce without carrots - natural sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
While pasta is not on my favorites list, there is something comfortable about tossing together a nice bowl of noodles and sauce, popping the cork on a bright red wine, and settling in for a lingering meal and friendly chatter.
With all the alternative pastas available now, there really is a pasta for everyone. I chose a favorite brown rice penne for this meal that the entire family approves and that doesn't mind me over-cooking it because I always do. I prefer mine al dente and everyone else prefers it cooked...to...death. So, that's how I cook it. Pick your battles. Here's our menu:
Thursday's Menu ~ Mama mia!
Please take a moment to visit my Contributor page to see the great products that I use to make these meals for my family!
Whole Foods Market~Alpharetta Harry's provided all ingredients for this meal, with the exception of the flours used, which are courtesy of King Arthur Flour.
Brown Rice Pasta with Tomato Sauce (my little concoction)
Balsamic-Marinated Strawberry Salad (a slightly modified version of this recipe from Bonnie Walton)
Hearty Dinner Rolls (check out this post to get the low down on the fantabulous vegan bread recipe that I used for these rolls - instead of white rice flour, I used an equal amount of King Arthur Brown Rice Flour)
Strawberry Sorbet (store bought) sandwiches
The sauce is a simple one that I make - my family cannot imagine pasta sauce without carrots - natural sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
For the sauce: touch of olive oil for sauteeing mushrooms & garlic; Italian herbs, organic carrots, and organic diced tomatoes (drained)
The pasta bowl
And what is your favorite pasta sauce without a hearty roll spread with rich buttery roasted garlic (here's a confession for you: I always roast twice as much garlic as needed because I eat half of the roasted cloves before they make it to any recipe.).
I place peeled cloves (I get these pre-peeled from Whole Foods Market~Alpharetta Harry's) and place them in a foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, & pepper, then toss the packet in the oven while the rolls are baking.
I place peeled cloves (I get these pre-peeled from Whole Foods Market~Alpharetta Harry's) and place them in a foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, & pepper, then toss the packet in the oven while the rolls are baking.
Garlic before roasting
For the rolls, I used my favorite bread recipe - it's gluten-free and it's vegan, so I can serve it to anyone. I've provided the link to my recipe in the menu so that you can read my post. This recipe comes to me via two immensely talented bakers - one created the recipe, the other made it vegan. I've never used this dough for rolls until today, and I was so pleased! I scooped the batter into a greased muffin pan so that it would hold its shape, and that worked perfectly. Reduce the baking time if you decide to make rolls - I baked mine for about 25 mintues.
This brown rice flour from King Arthur Flours is the best - not gritty at all, which is why I typically stay away from brown rice flour in general. Not anymore - I'm sold on this one.
Sorghum Flour from King Arthur Flour
Here's the batter for the bread - it's fairly thick, so a stand mixer works very well to do the mixing for you.
These rolls were hearty with a firm outer crust and a soft pillowy interior - perfect to dip in warm garlic-y olive oil!
I just had to show you the inside of a roll - see how soft they look?
And you'll love this salad. Make sure you use a good quality balsamic vinegar - it really makes a difference. I've tried several brands (paying much more than I wanted!), only to come back to my favorite every-day balsamic - organic 365 Everyday Value. It's rich and slightly sweet, and the perfect complement for these sweet berries!
A quick whisk of these 2 ingredients, and my dressing was made!
Yes, it's really as good as it looks!
And for dessert I've got a cool treat on a warm Georgia evening - sorbet sandwiches. Remember our Non-Dairy Honey Ice Cream? Well, I sliced organic strawberry sorbet and sandwiched it with some of the leftover ice cream. How easy is that?
I hope you enjoyed the meal as much as I enjoy you stopping by! Come back tomorrow and see what we're having (I'm kind of open for suggestions because I st
I hope you enjoyed the meal as much as I enjoy you stopping by! Come back tomorrow and see what we're having (I'm kind of open for suggestions because I st
Cool, rich, and non-dairy - gotta' love this super-simple dessert!
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