Day 8: The Trouble with Whole Wheat Pasta

Spiritual Menu: AM: Psalm 119:49-72; PM: 49, 53; Deutronomy 9:13-21; Hebrews 3:12-19; John 2:23 - 3:15

So today was a weird food day for me.  I had popcorn (using the corn kernels, safflower oil, and yeast popcorn seasoning), oatmeal from McDonald's without brown sugar, a Spinach Patty, a ton of water, Kashi cereal with rice milk, and two apples.  This is FAR below what I normally eat, so I'm absolutely upping my calorie intake tomorrow.  It was just really busy...I know, I know, no excuse.

Yesterday, I did the Mushroom Pesto Pasta with my family.  This was my first time doing the vegan version, my regular version is banging!   The Mushroom was a hit, the Pasta -- not so much.  I didn't get the seasoning right, and I don't think I cooked it long enough.  I remember watching "Kitchen Boss" before and Buddy said that pasta water should be like sea water (I love his shows).  No, the troops weren't happy (and I'm not a bad cook!).  I'm working on it so the trial and error must continue.  Here's the recipe though, maybe you can get it right.

Spinach Pesto Penne with Breaded Mushrooms

Pesto
3 cups raw Spinach
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup Pecans
2 tbsp garlic
* in some recipes, if you're not doing the vegan thing, you can put Parmesan cheese in it.

Mushrooms
2 Portobello Mushroom caps, sliced
1 cup Jamaican Water Crackers (in place of bread crumbs)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rice milk (in place of eggs)
2 tbsp Olive oil

2 cups Whole Wheat Penne
3 cups water
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 teaspoons salt

Boil the water with olive oil and salt.  Put whole wheat Penne in the water.  Let it cook for 20 minutes.

For the Pesto, in a blender, combine Spinach, olive oil, pecans, and garlic.  Blend until a lush green sauce.

In the blender, grind the Water Crackers into crumbs.  Wipe down the mushroom with a little water (don't wash!) For the mushrooms, slice the mushroom caps into 1/2in wide slivers.  Set up a dredging station with flour, then rice milk, then water crackers.  Dip the mushrooms into each.  Heat olive oil in pan and cook mushrooms for 2 minutes on each side. 

After the pasta is finished, strain the noodles, then put them in pan with some of the Pesto (enough to coat your pasta).  Serve Mushrooms on top of Pesto.

I like to cut my mushrooms into smaller chunks and mix it all together.   The pic's..at least it looks pretty spiffy.