Mmmm, pasta.

I love pasta. I prefer short shapes, like ziti, penne, farfalle, fusilli to long endless strands of spaghetti or linguini. A few nights ago, I made some tomato sauce to go with the last of my lentil balls (my boyfriend this past weekend used up the last of the jarred sauce I had). I chopped an onion and sliced six mushrooms and diced two cloves of garlic. I sauteed those then dumped in some diced tomatoes and tomato paste, sprinkled in some basil, oregano, and marjoram, and let it simmer. I didn't eat it immediately, but when I did--mmmm. A very good basic, easy recipe I adapted from "La Dolce Vegan!" (it didn't call for the veggies or the seasonings). So tonight, I cooked up some pasta and served it with the sauce and Red Star Nutritional Yeast sprinkled on top.

Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is rich in B-vitamins, especially B-12. People ask vegans all the time about protein, when they should ask us about B-12 (No, don't. Really. Please.). It imparts a cheesy (in a good way) flavor to sauces and is said to be good on popcorn (which I very rarely eat, so I don't know for sure). I have used it in gravies and in the breading for my tofu cutlets, and it has a very subtle flavor, but adds a nice touch to foods.

Anyway, I love the fact that pasta is comforting on a cold wintry night and not too heavy on a hot summer night. It fits firmly in the category of perfect all-year-round meals. The only food that is more comforting is a "baked" potato with Earth Balance margarine. Or slightly salty fries with lots of ketchup.