pasta Archives - Loreeebee

What can get better than harvesting your own tomatoes? Taking home someone else’s tomato harvest! I was cleaning up a client’s garden recently and came across a few grape tomato plants in amongst the perennial flowers and shrubs. I picked them off the frost-bitten vines and left the tomatoes in the sun to dry while I finished working on the garden. Sun dried tomatoes must need a whole lot of sun to dry them out as these grape tomatoes were still soggy and soft three hours later. My client didn’t want to bother collecting and cleaning the tomatoes to use in her kitchen, so I brought them home with me. I shared my bounty with another client that lives next door to the tomatoes…

I took my share of the grape tomatoes home, washed and strained them, then cooked them up in a pasta sauce for dinner…

I sauteed crushed garlic, onions, olives and turmeric in olive oil for the main ingredients, added cooked and drained pasta (gluten-free for my wheat allergy) then stirred in a beaten egg and parmesan cheese to make the sauce creamy. I seem to use turmeric in just about everything these days, since I read it is a powerful anti-oxidant. I would have added roasted red peppers if I had some in my fridge to roast that day. The pasta dish was reasonably good, although I think I left too many green tomatoes in the sauce as it had a bit of a sweet and sour taste.

There are many alternatives to wheat on the market these days, many are available in your grocery store. Listed below are a few wheat-free products that I have tried:

Arrowroot

Arrowroot is the starch of a root from tropical plants. It is easily digestible, and flavorless (unlike cornstarch). It can be used as a thickening agent in soups, gravies, cookies etc. Simply mix it with cold water before adding it to hot liquids to prevent clumping.

Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain-like (but NOT a grain, so wheat-free) crop mostly grown for its edible seeds. The plant is related to beets and spinach, although the greens are not widely available. The seeds are easily digestible and are high in protein, fiber, magnesium, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. They should be cooked and used like rice.

Buckwheat, Another Wheat-free Product

Buckwheat is a grain-like (but NOT a grain) plant grown for its seeds, related to rhubarb and sorrel. It is a gluten-free, and wheat-free product, although it can be a potent allergen by itself. Buckwheat is high in protein, amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, and antioxidants. It has been known to reduce cholesterol levels, body fat, and cholesterol gallstones. It has also been shown to strengthen capillary walls in chronic venous insufficiency and is currently being studied for use in treating type II diabetes. Noodles made of buckwheat are known as soba in Japan, pizzoccheri in Italy, and guksu in Korea. Buckwheat flour or farina is used in breakfast foods like porridge, as well as a thickener in soups, gravies, dressings, bread, and pasta. Buckwheat is also used in the making of honey and a gluten-free beer.

Finding Wheat-Free Products

Wheat-free products are out there, you just have to look a little harder to find them. Read your food labels! I promise though, the effort will be worth it!