Pasta Weather

Monday was cold. Like, really cold, and not just by Florida standards. Monday night was even colder. While driving home that evening, I was trying to imagine what I had in the kitchen that I could use to make a warm meal. Nothing much came to mind beyond salad greens and raw veggies. I promptly veered out of rush hour traffic and headed into a grocery store to wander around for dinner inspiration.

I strolled around the perimeter of the store, lingered over fresh produce, and eventually whittled my options down to soup or pasta. Since I went into the grocery store without a plan and without a list (something I hate doing!), I really had to envision everything before making a final decision. My verdict: warm, comforting spaghetti. I grabbed just a few ingredients and was soon home, that much closer to a big warm bowl of delicious comfort.

Just boiling the water made me feel warmer already.


I bought some roasted garlic sauce in a jar with the intention of adding to it.


I know I dis mock meats on a regular basis, but for some reason, I found myself reaching for these crumbles, which I'd never tried before.


Goodness, why is it so DARK? (Does that color unsettle anyone else?)


Meanwhile, time to throw in the spaghetti noodles.


I picked up these brown rice noodles, which I think I may have tried before.

I was intrigued by their "never mushy" promise.

Okay, back to the sauce. I threw in a little bit of crumbles and some freshly sliced mushrooms.


Followed by fresh spinach. (I used to HATE spinach up until just a couple of years ago. Green smoothies really brought spinach and I closer together.)


I also love the way greens cook down. It's like a magical science experiment.

Or I'm just easily entertained.

Naked noodles!


Put something on!


This may not be the most attractive bowl of spaghetti you've ever seen, but it was delicious and EXACTLY what I wanted. The sauce covered up much of the taste of the crumbles, but was still a nice, light addition of flavor and texture. These noodles are pretty great. They definitely did not get gummy or mushy. In fact, these are the best gluten-free noodles I've ever prepared.

Reminder: I'll be randomly drawing the winning name of the Go Max Go vegan candy bars giveaway TONIGHT at 11pm Eastern time! (I'm still getting used to saying 'Eastern,' not 'Central.') Make sure you get your comments in on that entry and stay tuned.