Tuesday, July 3, 2012

How to Make Wheat Free Pasta...No More Boring Vegetables

Living wheat free poses some challenges for people who love to eat pasta.  But what is so incredible about the process of eliminating wheat from your diet is that you loose the craving for pasta and bread.  I know, you are probably saying..."Ya maybe for you but I live for bread and pasta".  I'm here to tell you that it is the absolute truth.  I used to love a good sandwich or some bruschetta, pasta as a side dish, even without a heavy sauce.  My mom who is a die hard pasta and bread lover has completely lost her craving for pasta and bread by switching to living wheat free.  It's truely amazing.

I decided to post this about how to make a wheat free pasta because this dish allows you to have a light meal using fresh zucchini that has been shredded to resemble pasta.  I tossed mine with a little Artichoke Pesto and added fresh grape tomatoes.  Incredibly healthy, filling and a great way to eat vegetables in a whole new way.

Here is how you do it:


I picked up this madoline at Tuesday Morning one day for $10 bucks.  You don't need those expense mandolines, this works just fine.  I think Bed Bath and Beyond has these too for less than $20.  I love using this mandoline to slice zucchini really thin to make Zucchini Carpaccio Salad or slice fennel to add to salads, etc.  It's a really handy tool to have in the kitchen help transform vegetables into something spectacular.  No more boring vegetables.

I also like to take this shredded zucchini and put it in the bowl, toss it with the pesto or any sauce you want to add and then zap it really briefly in the microwave.  I don't cook the zucchini, just warm it through.  That way I get the added benefits of a raw vegetable vitamins that would be lost during cooking.  Then add the fresh sliced grape tomatoes, a drizzle of EVOO and a little seasoning of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and fresh cracked Black Pepper to finish.  Goats Milk Pecornio Cheese or Parmesan Cheese is a good garnish or you can simply leave it off, which I did in this dish since I had it in my pesto.

This meal will fill you up for lunch, works great as a side dish and will be a great addition to your dinner party.  Guests who have never heard of this will be facinated.  Plus they wont even realize you are swapping a healthy food option on their plate.  Because it presents so well, they will think you did something fancy.  Jokes on them!

Full of flavor, great presentation, who wouldn't want to eat this instead of tasteless, no value pasta?

Try it, you'll like it! Take a tip from me! (oh sorry, that was cheer from highschool...I lost it for a second.)

Stormy