 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.  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! |
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