Comfort food

I'm convinced that all comfort food is high in carbohydrates, which is just one of many reasons the Fatkins Diet so sucks. Pasta, potatoes, rice, chocolate, baked goods, chips, all are wonderful when you're feeling out of sorts (or premenstrual). I'm not in such a mood right now, despite the fact that the days are getting shorter, and we actually got a bit of snow yesterday. I know that come February, I'll be really glum, in spite of the fact that the days are actually getting longer.

Last night, I cooked some lentil-and-brown rice balls from a recipe sent to me from a fellow blogger. Tonight, I cooked some fusilli pasta (corkscrews) and heated up some Newman's Own marinara sauce to serve with the lentil balls. I think I overcooked the lentil balls a bit, but they were quite tasty and didn't need huge amounts of sauce to taste good,in spite of what the recipe's author says. I sprinkled some nutritional yeast over the top for a little extra flavor. I had a little cabbage slaw on the side, based on a VegWeb recipe, but that definitely needs more dressing, and the next time I make it, I will use my food processor to shred the cabbage rather than just cutting it up.

I don't use whole wheat pasta, even if it is better for you. I've found that it doesn't taste as good as regular pasta (although I've heard that longer pastas, such as linguine or angel hair are better than shorter shapes, like fusilli or penne). However, I always buy brown rice because it has the fiber that white rice lacks and I think it tastes better. I guess some would say it's an acquired taste and texture, and brown rice does take longer to cook, but it's well worth it. Lentils are also nutritional powerhouses, with protein, fiber, iron, and B vitamins, including the ever important folic acid. Vitamin C helps absorption of plant protein, and tomatoes, technically a fruit, contain plenty of vitamin C. So eat your pasta and marinara, everyone!