Pasta sauce tricks

Let the base - whether garlic and onions or something more complex - simmer with some chicken broth and/or wine before adding the main ingredients (usually tomatoes). This adds depth to the sauce.

When I first started cooking for my wife, she had a hard time eating meals that did not contain some type of meat protein complaining that she "didn't feel satisfied." Using chicken broth in the sauce in otherwise vegetarian meals helped trick her body into satiation. Now we can eat fully vegetarian meals and if they are genuinely tasty, she is a happy camper.

Gluten free pasta - one more post - cooking gf pasta

I'm new to blogging and I thought that it was better to separate my posts by topic rather than have one long post. Please let me know what you think about that.

Cooking Tinkyada Gluten free pasta

1. Salt the water! Pretend you are cooking semolina based pasta. The directions say salt is optional but it makes a big difference in my opinion.

2. Set the timer for 2-3 minutes LESS than the recommended cooking time. That way you can test the pasta and get it just al dente because it's super easy to over cook. And then you have mushy pasta and no one, not even glutards who have forgotten what real pasta tastes like, like mushy pasta.

Gluten free pasta - not cheap

Gluten free pasta is absurdly expensive. There are some brands that sell at 4 times the price per pound compared to semolina based pastas! Fortunately, the brand that is most accessible to me is less expensive than most - tinkyada.

Bacony Roasted Chickpeas

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/03/bacony-roasted-chickpeas

Easy, good recipe. :)

Kinnikinnick Gluten-free Pancake and Waffle Mix

This mix is pretty good. I usually make pancakes and they have a nice texture and are pretty light. I use water or milk or almond milk and all work nicely.

Spicy Chickpea Soup

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spicy-chickpea-soup

So I have a couple thoughts about this recipe: 

1. It is not a main course. (I don't think Pam Anderson was suggesting that it is)
2. If the title says spicy, it should be spicy. 

Don't get me wrong, I cannot eat super hot food. I love spicy, but I have just average tolerance for it. This dish, however, wasn't spicy. 

I made this recipe as a main course and the first thing my wife said was, "I wish it had chicken in it." 

So with that in mind, I made some modifications.

I added cayenne pepper, chicken, and served it over rice. It came out pretty darn good. 

For the chicken:

Juice of 4 limes
1 t granulated garlic
1 t salt
1/2 of a medium onion grated
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks

Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, preferably 2-3. Sauté 4-5 chopped garlic cloves in 1 T olive oil a minute or two, then turn up the heat (medium-high to high) and add the chicken and some of the marinade juice. 

Let the chicken "sear" for about 7 minutes, it shouldn't brown because of the juice, turning it to make sure all sides get some cook time. Drain off the remaining juice and add the chickpea soup to the pan. 

Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes. 

Serve over rice, garnish with scallions and yogurt like the recipe says.