Sei Colore Pasta

For my birthday, my brother Grant and his partner gave me a beautiful basket filled with all kinds of Italian gourmet delights. Included in the basket of was a bag of six color pasta. Of course I couldn’t wait to use it.

The pasta added such depth and heartiness to the dish. It was fabulous!

For this recipe, I sauteed garlic in olive oil with marinated red peppers and onions, seasoning, fresh basil and Italian parsley. I included red pepper flakes for heat, mixed in al dente pasta and finished it with some fresh baby spinach. 

We enjoyed this meal with a rich Pinot Noir.

Kashi Organic Autumn Wheat Cereal with Soy Milk

I had this for breakfast. When I was a kid my parents went through a phase were they’d buy fat free milk. It was blue. I tried it on my cereal—and hated it. God bless them for caring. I’m not a big milk drinker. The ubiquity of the ‘Got milk?’ campaign belies the fact that milk is not particularly good for you. The bovine growth hormones and antibiotics given to cows is certainly bad for the cows, and I can’t imagine it’s good for us either. Back to my point: TJ’s soy milk is pretty tasty. Not as rich and creamy as cow milk, but I prefer it that way. This cereal is also sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice. The wheat is organic, too. I recommend you try it on your kids. :—)

Focaccia Bread

When I was a kid we ate Wonder bread or Roman Meal ‘wheat’ bread which are very soft and, honestly, very bland. Kiki and like focaccia bread. It’s great for sandwiches or heated up and served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s, though you can sometimes find a good loaf at Safeway. Well, at least at the Safeways in the Northern California Bay area. It might be a little rustic for PB&J sandwiches, but I’ve spread some strawberry preserves on it for breakfast and it was great.

Veggies

To avoid any tears when slicing onions, stick a piece of bread in your mouth before you start chopping. It does the trick.

Asparagus

A light drizzle of olive oil over asparagus topped with lemon pepper, squeeze of lemon juice and s & p.

Pop it in the toaster oven for 8 minutes for a crisp bite.

Onions

Sweet and delicious. Kiki swears that if you put a piece of bread in your mouth while you’re chopping them your eyes won’t get teary. I’ve tired that trick and it didn’t seem to work for me. Maybe I’m using the wrong brand of bread.

Aloe Vera Juice

My brother Stephan told me about aloe vera juice several years ago. I add about 2-3 oz to my juice each morning. I’ve been doing this for a few years now. I imagine my immune system is a little healthier as a result.

I also gargle with it twice a day. It’s a great natural mouth wash and promotes healthy gums.

Coppola Zinfandel

Kiki shot this while we were picnicking. This is in Byxbee Park in Palo Alto, California which is part of a bird sanctuary and nature preserve. Beyond being virtually vegan, Kiki brings a sense of beauty and care to meals. We packed a blanket, a bottle of wine, hummus, pita bread, tortilla chips, and salsa. Eating outside with egrets flying by and a flock of pelicans floating down the waterway slows time down. We ate light, slow, and leisurely. With camera in tow, Kiki also recorded a memory of our (meal) time together. I love that.

Kitchen Cabinet Spices and Sauces

Here are some ingredients and brands we like. Cholula hot sauce for tortilla wraps and pizza, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for focccia bread. Well, the olive oil goes into nearly everything. Chili oil for pad thai. Many of these come from Trader Joe’s, a great place to get good, healthy food at good prices.

Fresh Basil

I bought this basil plant at TJ’s the other day, I think it was about $3.00. I planted it in a ceramic pot. This should last me throughout most of the summer. After a while these plants tend to get woody.

Next I will plant some Italian parsley.

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