Not Just Pasta

When I first went gluten free I only knew about rice pasta. Since then I have also found corn pasta and kamut pasta, all of which can be quite pricey. I have also found a pasta from Tru Roots that is made with quinoa, amaranth and Brown Rice, that tastes fantastic.
Since everything seems to be so expensive, I was looking for more economical choices.
I had never been a lover of squash in any form. Over the last year I have grown to appreciate it. Winter and Butternut squash is great in Peanut Butter Brownies. I never would have thought it, but it is. I had also never tried Spaghetti squash.Then I did and I was very surprised. I put it with my pasta sauce and enjoyed. I also made a  pizza crust out of it. It’s quite enjoyable and I will post that recipe soon. As for cooking a spaghetti squash…

I take a whole spaghetti squash and poke it a few times with a fork or sharp knife. Put it in a large pot filled with water, cover and bring to a boil. I let the water boil for about ten minutes and then let the squash sit in the hot water for another ten minutes. Put squash on your counter to cool until you can handle it. Cut in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Using a fork, pull “strands” of squash apart to make spaghetti. Will store in covered bowl for up to about a week.

It is great! Stays nice and crunchy, also taking on the flavour from the sauce. Another great option is zucchini ribbons.
Another place people suggested I look was the Oriental section of the grocery store. I came across these  Vermicelli noodles. They are Bean thread starch noodles made from green beans and peas.
Very inexpensive. $1.39 in the Super Store. I get the package that has eight little bundles in each package. The packages that come as one bundle are very hard to work with.
These noodles don’t break apart until they soft.

All you do is take a bundle and put a strainer in a glass bowl. Pour boiling water over the noodles and they are ready in about 30 seconds.

So there are lots of different alternatives to traditional rice pasta. Just look in different places in your grocery store and think outside the box…

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