 When I decided to focus on TVP for this newsletter, I knew what recipe I wanted to cook with it: Vegan Bolognese.
Myself and my colleague Kellie both do a different version of vegan bolognese. Kellie uses TVP, while I use lentils and walnuts. At the risk of causing a bitter divide by choosing one recipe over the other, I experimented and discovered that a combination of both recipes was just the best darn vegan bolognese I've ever tasted. And here it is. A really excellent, convincing, rich, hearty bolognese sauce that will be loved by vegans and carnivores alike.
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 Pasta salad is a crowd favourite, so we thought it high time we added one to our Village Wholefoods recipe collection. This one is a cracker.
The best thing about a Pasta salad is it's versatility. You are only limited by what's in your fridge and pantry. Feel free to use this recipe as a springboard, and make it your own! When I created this recipe I wanted to tick all the boxes, and I think I've done that. It's a hot weather food in that it's full of crunchy, raw veg and zesty flavours. But it's also comfort food due not only to the starchy, cuddly nature of pasta itself but also the creamy dressing. I even gave it a nod to retro pasta salads of the 1970s and 80s, by adding a little sugar to the dressing. Trust me, it works! You may notice another quirk in my recipe - there's no uniformity in the sizes I chop the different ingredients. The carrots are finely diced, the tomatoes and cucumber get a medium dicing, the olives are halved and the fresh herbs are coarsely chopped. There is a method to my madness. I like the woodier, fibrous ingredients like carrots cut in smaller pieces so their flavours more readily combine with louder, showier ones. But really, none of it matters. If you've no patience for fine-dicing carrots, go chunky and call it rustic! Or you can even use a potato peeler to make some thin carrot ribbons. More about the dressing: I use greek yoghurt mixed with mayonnaise. I think it makes for a lighter, more 'grown up' flavour. But sometimes the mood calls for all mayo, or even sour cream. Much like the salad vegetables I included in this recipe, let your mood - and fridge - decide!  Spring has sprung! Lockdown is over! Both great reasons for diving into this all-occasion Pearl Couscous Salad. The silky, comforting pasta vibe of pearl couscous teamed with fresh Mediterranean-inspired ingredients like tomato, cucumber and capsicum, and the vibrancy of fresh herbs and feta means this is a dish that can be enjoyed as a midweek supper, a hearty offering to take to an impromptu gathering with family and friends, or even an enviable leftovers lunch!
 Universally loved by 97% of children and grown-ups alike, it's hard to go wrong with pasta and a simple red sauce.
But what if you don't have tinned tomatoes on hand? Or you don't have the extra time needed to turn those tinned tomatoes into a sauce? Tomato powder to the rescue! In seconds, tomato powder can be turned into the most gloriously silky, full bodied and satisfying red sauce. Made from 100% dried tomatoes, you can use it in pasta, soups, casseroles, jaffles, nachos and parmigiana! See under recipe for more ideas on how to use tomato powder. Here I've paired it with our popular zoo pasta for a simple, 15 minute dinner. My kids and I love this dish, and I bet you will too!  Ask Italians the correct way to cook bolognese, ragu, gnocchi or polenta and you'll get a different answer from all of them. And they're all correct! Ingredients and methods vary between regions, creating unique geographical and cultural signatures on the food.
Pesto is no exception. Recently, a charming Sicilian customer was delighted with our vibrant and fresh Australian grown Pistachios, and told me about his family's pesto recipe. In the south, he said, it's common to have Pesto made from pistachios, basil, olive oil, mint and parmesan. He was insistent on 3 things: 1. Unlike the classic pine nut pesto that most of us are familiar with, which uses just a handful of nuts to a whole bunch of basil. The pistachio version should be all about the pistachios, with the rest of the ingredients playing second fiddle. The mixture should be ⅔ pistachios. 2. Don't grind it finely. You should be able to see some pistachio pieces at the end. 3. "No garlic!" Here is my attempt at his beloved Pistachio Pesto. It was absolutely delicious. Hope you all enjoy it! |
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