Spice Things Up

My new favorite spice is ground mustard. It used to be cumin, which I still adore and add to practically everything. But for a non-chili-eatin’, non-hot-pepper-eatin’ gal like me, ground mustard adds a kick sometimes lacking from my food, especially when combined with fresh ginger. Delish!

Besides being a vegetarian, I avoid white flour and wheat products, as they cause mucus. [Forgive me if that’s TMI for you, but I know I’m not the only one getting hackers from wheat.] I’m not big on labels, so my vegetarian designation flip flops with my mood. I have my vegan moments where I don’t eat eggs, cheese, or other dairy products. But sometimes I’ll do a few crumbles of feta cheese or, even more rarely, down a cupcake at a party when I know there are eggs (and wheat) in it. I’ve heard of a vegetarian offshoot called pescatarian, for those who allow fish, but no other meat, in their diets. Whatever! I’ve come to refer to myself as a “vegan with benefits,” considering I occasionally take in a wild-caught Alaskan salmon (superb Omega-3s, don’tcha know?). I may even share my salmon recipe on this blog in the future. It’s easy, super fast, and tastes fantastic for so little effort.

All this to say I’m not a strict vegan and don’t eat traditional pasta (boy, and I tease my mom about her rabbit trails!). For folks with Celiac disease, wheat-intolerance, or food allergies, pasta also comes in brown rice and quinoa varieties (as well as corn, black bean, mung bean, and others. I found the last two pastas ridiculously expensive and pretty awful in texture).

So, back to spices. I find that well-spiced foods cut dessert cravings. After one of my curries (a future blog), I have no desire for sweets, as both tongue and tummy are satiated. I just quenched a mid-morning pasta jones with a brown rice fettuccini with ground mustard, freshly grated ginger, and cumin. A seriously epic experiment. Know that my “spicy” is more zesty/savory than hot. My tongue is still rejoicing half an hour later. Here’s the recipe:

“SPICY” FETTUCCINI
1/3 - 1/2 pkg. brown rice fettuccini (may use corn, quinoa or traditional pasta)
1 T. soy butter (or almond butter)
2 T. pumpkin seeds (raw or dry roasted, unsalted)
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 T. grated ginger
1 tsp. cumin
1 T. cilantro (dried)
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1T. olive oil
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 T. garlic powder
2 squirts liquid aminos
Optional: A few crumbles of feta cheese (can substitute 1 tsp. nutritional yeast)

Break uncooked fettuccini in half and drop into boiling water until al dente. Drain noodles, saving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, and return fettuccini and remaining pasta water to pan on medium heat. Add olive oil, and then soy butter, stirring to dissolve. Lower heat and add remaining ingredients, saving pumpkin seeds ‘til the end. Stir well. Serve hot and enjoy.

Variations & comments: Feel free to play around with the spice amounts and see how it tastes. I have a low salt tolerance, so you may want to add a bit more to taste. You can also add a little chopped broccoli or carrot bits, even drained black beans to this dish. If you can’t find raw pumpkin seeds in any store, you can order them online (I dry roasted them myself).

Let me know what you think! Enjoy and Veg appetit!