Changing Habits, part 2

Whole wheat pasta. What ominous sounding words those are! From the name to the odd color glimpsed on the shelf of the store, there are so many things influencing customers against this mild, tender, easy to eat whole grain. It cooks two minutes longer than ordinary pasta and doesn't go well with white sauces, but we shouldn't be eating white sauces anyway. One of my friends begged me to try it and I did, buying it grudgingly, sure that it would be uneatable. I over-cooked it. I haven't over-cooked pasta since I learned to cook. Aldente has always been that important to me. But I was convinced that it would be tough and grainy feeling. I was so wrong. I tossed it in a tomato pepper sauce and topped it with basil and could hardly tell the difference. I was even more surprised when the kids ate it up! Underneath that red sauce, the slight difference in color wasn't a big deal. I was absolutely shocked. This is really worth a try. Whole wheat pasta comes in all shapes and sizes now in most supermarkets, so try it in all the different ways that you cook other pastas. Always pair it with bold flavors and it will never let you down. It's great in Asian style pasta salads with soy sauce and steamed vegetables or pasta casseroles with tomato sauces work or spaghetti and tofu meatballs.