Pasta, Wine and a Contest

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You know the saying, “When it rains, it pours?” Well, that’s the way it is around here when it comes to sampling. I went a few weeks without receiving anything, then it all starting “pouring” in. I’m going to try to get to everything ASAP. In the meantime, it’s always good to start with pasta…

 Delicious & Healthy Gluten-Free Pasta…
Explore Cuisine sent me two boxes of their gluten-free, vegan pasta, Black Bean Spaghetti and Chickpea Fusilli. I’ve never had anything like that before and was anxious to try them.  Of course, it’s always important to get an opinion where it counts, so I invited some friends to dinner – one of whom is gluten-free.

The consensus was all positive for these pastas. I served the Black Bean Spaghetti with a marinara sauce. This pasta has a whopping 25 grams of protein so it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. I thought it was a little sticky, but I was the only one. It was suggested that maybe the marinara was too heavy and a simple olive and garlic would be better.

As for the Chickpea Fusilli, it was wonderful and none of us felt you could taste the difference between this and wheat pasta. I presented it with my a la vodka sauce and there were few leftovers.

If you can’t find these in your local store, you can purchase them on Amazon.

Wine Time…
Pasta deserves wine and Locations Wine sent me two more bottles to try. These wines are created by Winemaker Dave Phinney based on the location of the vineyards.

These were my first whites by Locations and they were completely different. The Corsica was my favorite easy drinking wine, light and deliciously filled with light citrus and a hint of honeysuckle.

The California White was dryer and oaked, filled with vanilla and butter. It was a good white for wine drinkers who prefer red, for a meat (or black bean pasta marinara) meal.

Keystone Contest...
I wrote about Keystone canned beef and chicken a few months ago. I was surprised how authentic and natural these canned meats were. Now, it’s time to find out what you can do with them.

Keystone is running a recipe contest for their beef. You have a chance to win free beef for a year by coming up with a winning recipe in one of three categories: 5 Ingredients or Less, Family Tradition, or Lighter Meals.


Details for the Keystone Beef Contest are on their website. You have until May 31st to enter. I’m working on my entry. 

Comments

  1. Lyra VegaMay 24, 2017 at 2:23 PM

    Pastas and wines were both delish! Marcia is an excellent cook and a great writer - I highly value her recommendations and summations of products!

    ReplyDelete

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