Family tries quinoa pasta

I have been trying to do away with refined wheat products in favor of whole wheat and gluten free options. The one thing that makes that difficult is that I come from a family of pasta lovers and growing up, it was (and remains) a staple in our house. We will never be caught without a shelf in the pantry devoted to pasta and various sauces. Knowing that I was not ready to give up my pasta in taking up this mission, I decided to try various whole wheat and gluten free pastas and see which one I like. My first one is quinoa based because I love quinoa in my salads so I thought it would be fun to try it in pasta form. This one is the Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa Penne from LiveGfree, voted best new product by consumers in 2017.

My family is very supportive of me in my endeavors to be a successful vegan (my mom actually helped me start this blog!) so I decided to sometimes have some family members try some of the things I've been eating and share their thoughts (and mine) on the blog. I will not be sharing names, just how we are related (grandma, uncle, mom, brother, etc) and what they said verbatim.

When I made the pasta, I decided to have the family try it too and the feedback was wonderful. They commented on the differences between this one and traditional wheat pasta (which I expected they would because it is different) but they also said they liked it and would eat it again. This is the first time any of us had tried a gluten free pasta so it was a new thing for all of us, myself included, but everyone was open to the idea and had a positive attitude about it.

In addition to introducing my family to their first gluten free pasta, I also gave a quick synopsis of how Instagram stories work. They were enjoying good company and conversation in the dining room as I was making the pasta but I wanted to capture some footage on my Instagram story, so I had to kindly ask them to quiet down so I could get the footage. My mom was the only person who understood what that meant and was trying to explain what I was talking about and what I was trying to do. So after I was done, I showed the family my Instagram story and let them see what I was doing (and why I wanted quiet to do this).

Here is the feedback they gave me about the meal:
Grandma says: "Very good flavor. Thicker texture and chewier"
My mom says: "Heartier and more flavorful"
Grandpa says: "Very good flavor. It seemed to be a heavy taste"

The feedback shows that my mom and grandparents enjoyed their first gluten free pasta. I did too. I noticed it had a grainier texture to it but this did not bother me. I thought the flavor was similar to that of a traditional pasta. I think this experience brought us together. My veganism is not a divisive force in my family (on either side) but it's touching when they are open to trying the things that I eat and then we all learn something from it.

These are the words of wisdom a friend of my grandparents once gave me:

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young" -Henry Ford

It's always fun to learn from and with family by exploring our own and each other's interests. In my family, this very much includes my food. Stories are also shared over a meal eaten together. These times spent are what keeps us young.

When one has the capacity to prepare a healthy and plant based meal that the whole family can enjoy, I say that is a success.

What are some of your favorite plant based meals that your whole family enjoys?

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