Hey all,

I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with
chicken sausage, green pepper, and sweet onion saved the meal. (Oh, and
the accompanying Muir Glen diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)

I'm considering making my own pasta dough with a mix of white whole
wheat flour, semolina, and all purpose. Any suggestions for the ratio
of flours? (Pasta Purists, gimme a break.)

Thanks,
June

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hey all,
>
> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
> store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
> cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
> flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with
> chicken sausage, green pepper, and sweet onion saved the meal. (Oh, and
> the accompanying Muir Glen diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
> tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)

Don't give up on the pasta. Try another brand, not necessarily from a health
food store, either. Whatever you end up with, WW pasta definitely requires a
sauce with a darker flavor. A heavy infusion of mushrooms help.

Muir Glen makes very good salsa. Too bad they didn't get the tomatoes right.
Does the label say "made by", or "distributed by"?

Oh pshaw, on Thu 17 Aug 2006 11:30:28a, meant to say...

> Hey all,
>
> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
> store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
> cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
> flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with
> chicken sausage, green pepper, and sweet onion saved the meal. (Oh, and
> the accompanying Muir Glen diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
> tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)
>
> I'm considering making my own pasta dough with a mix of white whole
> wheat flour, semolina, and all purpose. Any suggestions for the ratio
> of flours? (Pasta Purists, gimme a break.)
>
> Thanks,
> June
>
>

You might want to try a product like Barilla Plus or Ronzoni Healthy
Harvest? They are both whole grain or multigrain and high in fiber. IMO,
they bear no resemblance to the stuff that most health food stores sell.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

'Christianity taught that love is worth more than
intelligence.'

In article . com>,
" > wrote:

> Hey all,
>
> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
> store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
> cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
> flavor was bitter, the texture, tough.

Do what I do, Junie Bug: When the whole wheat crap is half done, add
some 'regular' pasta and finish cooking together. It gives the illusion
of eating more healthfully with the whole wheat stuff.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://jamlady.eboard.com
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article . com>,
> " > wrote:
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health
>> food store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred
>> vigorously. I cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for
>> regular pasta. The flavor was bitter, the texture, tough.
>
> Do what I do, Junie Bug: When the whole wheat crap is half done, add
> some 'regular' pasta and finish cooking together. It gives the
> illusion of eating more healthfully with the whole wheat stuff.

LOL! I like the way you think!

On 17 Aug 2006 11:30:28 -0700, " >
wrote:

>Hey all,
>
>I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
>store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
>cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
>flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is delicious. I love the egg noodles.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Curly Sue wrote:

>> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
>> store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
>> cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
>> flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with
>
> Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is delicious. I love the egg noodles.

I'll second that recommendation. I've had some horrible whole wheat
pastas (Hodgekins Mill was one I recall) but the Ronzoni was decent.

I think sometimes people mistakenly think items at a health food store
are particularly tasty. I've yet to buy anything at one I liked. I fell
for that "carob is just like chocolate only healthier" BS once and am
still gagging about it.

Goomba38 wrote:
> Curly Sue wrote:
>
> > Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is delicious. I love the egg noodles.
>
> I'll second that recommendation. I've had some horrible whole wheat
> pastas (Hodgekins Mill was one I recall) but the Ronzoni was decent.
>

I'll check it out. I've tried the Barilla Plus and thought it was OK.
Just OK. Thanks to L for the wheat pasta review site.

I don't know about the Muir Glen labels - the cans have already gone
into the recycling flow.

Barb, I use your method for rice - half white, half brown. I can't
stomach all brown rice. It just seems WRONG.

June

In article . com>,
" > wrote:

> Hey all,
>
> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
> store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
> cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
> flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with
> chicken sausage, green pepper, and sweet onion saved the meal. (Oh, and
> the accompanying Muir Glen diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
> tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)
>
> I'm considering making my own pasta dough with a mix of white whole
> wheat flour, semolina, and all purpose. Any suggestions for the ratio
> of flours? (Pasta Purists, gimme a break.)

Dreamfield's is good. I made a batch of mac & cheese once for a party.
The macaroni was Dreamfield's and no one knew the difference. Even the
little kids at the party didn't scoff at it.

I have some of that Ronzoni Healthy Harvest in my cupboard, but I
haven't tried it yet.

In article .com>,
" > wrote:

> Goomba38 wrote:
> > Curly Sue wrote:
> >
> > > Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is delicious. I love the egg noodles.
> >
> > I'll second that recommendation. I've had some horrible whole wheat
> > pastas (Hodgekins Mill was one I recall) but the Ronzoni was decent.
> >
>
> I'll check it out. I've tried the Barilla Plus and thought it was OK.
> Just OK. Thanks to L for the wheat pasta review site.
>
> I don't know about the Muir Glen labels - the cans have already gone
> into the recycling flow.
>
> Barb, I use your method for rice - half white, half brown. I can't
> stomach all brown rice. It just seems WRONG.
>
> June

I can do brown rice fine, but not the ww pasta stuff. I buy what I do
in bulk at the co-op. Maybe it's the stuff they stock.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://jamlady.eboard.com
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller

" wrote:
>
> (Oh, and the accompanying Muir Glen
> diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
> tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)

Muir Glen is actually the agribusiness giant
General Mills. What would you expect from them?

> I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
> store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
> cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
> flavor was bitter, the texture, tough.

I can recommend a pasta available here in Western Canada...
It's brown rice with added rice bran...
It cooks up to be superior to semolina pasta in my book...
It has more 'body' without any overpowering flavours...
Brand name in Tinkyada, I believe...
A bit pricey, but well worth it...
It does not raise my glucose levels like semolina pasta does...

http://www.tinkyada.com/

Here's a link to an article about how giant corporations
have co-opted the natural foods movement:

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0531-11.htm

Don't be fooled by the homespun name and packaging,
it's the same old factory-food junk inside.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> " wrote:
> >
> > (Oh, and the accompanying Muir Glen
> > diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
> > tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)
>
> Muir Glen is actually the agribusiness giant
> General Mills. What would you expect from them?

I guess I'm less picky about buying from large fod companies, but I
expect better quality control in general. I've been buying MG for
years, including many canned tomato products - this is the first time
I've had something like this.

I have the factory codes written on a paper somewhere, I'll send them
an email and let them know they failed to meet my expectations. Not
that it'll do much good, but hey, maybe it'll turn into a coupon for a
free can.

June

Stan Horwitz wrote:

> In article . com>,
> " > wrote:
>
>
>>Hey all,
>>
>>I was duped by a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta at my local health food
>>store. I boiled water, put in the pasta, and stirred vigorously. I
>>cooked it for a long time - longer than I do for regular pasta. The
>>flavor was bitter, the texture, tough. Only a spicy tomato sauce with
>>chicken sausage, green pepper, and sweet onion saved the meal. (Oh, and
>>the accompanying Muir Glen diced tomato can - it was packed with 50%
>>tomatoe pieces and 50% tomato peels! WTF?)
>>
>>I'm considering making my own pasta dough with a mix of white whole
>>wheat flour, semolina, and all purpose. Any suggestions for the ratio
>>of flours? (Pasta Purists, gimme a break.)
>
>
> Dreamfield's is good. I made a batch of mac & cheese once for a party.
> The macaroni was Dreamfield's and no one knew the difference. Even the
> little kids at the party didn't scoff at it.
>
> I have some of that Ronzoni Healthy Harvest in my cupboard, but I
> haven't tried it yet.

Dreamfield's is very good--but not whole wheat.

--
Jean B.

On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 09:24:48 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article .com>,
> " > wrote:
>
>> Goomba38 wrote:
>> > Curly Sue wrote:
>> >
>> > > Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is delicious. I love the egg noodles.
>> >
>> > I'll second that recommendation. I've had some horrible whole wheat
>> > pastas (Hodgekins Mill was one I recall) but the Ronzoni was decent.
>> >
>>
>> I'll check it out. I've tried the Barilla Plus and thought it was OK.
>> Just OK. Thanks to L for the wheat pasta review site.
>>
>> I don't know about the Muir Glen labels - the cans have already gone
>> into the recycling flow.
>>
>> Barb, I use your method for rice - half white, half brown. I can't
>> stomach all brown rice. It just seems WRONG.
>>
>> June
>
>I can do brown rice fine, but not the ww pasta stuff. I buy what I do
>in bulk at the co-op. Maybe it's the stuff they stock.

So. This method for rice. Do you cook them separately? I can't
imagine you cook them together, it seems to me if you did that, the
white would be mush. Mais non?

Edumacate me!

TammyM

TammyM wrote:

> So. This method for rice. Do you cook them separately? I can't
> imagine you cook them together, it seems to me if you did that, the
> white would be mush. Mais non?

I use short-grain brown rice and sushi (white) rice. I steam them
together in a rice cooker, using the same proportion of water:rice
(it's all marked on the side of the rice pot).

June