From white to wheat - Triathlon Week

05-18-2005, 10:52 AM

Trying to eat less white flour (i.e., bread, pasta), but a little hesitate
on whole wheat pasta. I bought some and it was really sticky (could have
been my cooking skills). Anyone have any suggestions regarding whole wheat
pasta. Good brand. Cooking tips. Recipes.

Thanks and happy biking, running and swimming!

05-18-2005, 12:47 PM

Did you rinse it with cold water after boiling? That
gets rid of the excess starch. Also, you may need to
boil ww pasta a little longer than white pasta, dep
on the brand. I get mine from the local health-food
store's bulk bins. I rarely eat white anymore, it's
flavorless! Make anything you normally do with white
flour pasta with the wheat. Try pesto with pine nuts.
Marinara and sundried tomatoes. Maybe add portabello
mushrooms. Sauteed bell peppers. Lots of great things
can be added to basic pasta.

Teresa in AZ

Jake Thompson wrote:

> Trying to eat less white flour (i.e., bread, pasta), but a little hesitate
> on whole wheat pasta. I bought some and it was really sticky (could have
> been my cooking skills). Anyone have any suggestions regarding whole wheat
> pasta. Good brand. Cooking tips. Recipes.
>
> Thanks and happy biking, running and swimming!

05-18-2005, 02:43 PM

It was your cooking skills of course. Use Trader Joe and just follow
the instructions EXACTLY as they appear on the label.

Then get a bread machine and fresh whole wheat flour, yeast, salt,
water and a squirt of honey and get busy with the next phase of whole
wheat. Yummmmmm

Jake Thompson wrote:
> Trying to eat less white flour (i.e., bread, pasta), but a little
hesitate
> on whole wheat pasta. I bought some and it was really sticky (could
have
> been my cooking skills). Anyone have any suggestions regarding whole
wheat
> pasta. Good brand. Cooking tips. Recipes.
>
> Thanks and happy biking, running and swimming!

pyschosyd · 05-18-2005, 03:03 PM

If it is sticky you might also want to add a little cooking (olive is our choice) I find this also reduces the amount of sauce we use on the pasta. It does have a different texture, but once you've gone whole wheat you will never go back!

rds · 05-19-2005, 07:05 AM

We eat a lot of pasta in our house and we are transitioning form white to wheat. I find the whole wheat pasta in the organic section of the grocery very good. I didn't know what I was missing out on by eating the regular white pasta, I guess you get what you pay for.

05-20-2005, 02:35 PM

Rinsing also gets rid of all the flavor.

05-23-2005, 07:44 AM

Jake Thompson wrote:

> Trying to eat less white flour (i.e., bread, pasta), but a little hesitate
> on whole wheat pasta. I bought some and it was really sticky (could have
> been my cooking skills). Anyone have any suggestions regarding whole wheat
> pasta. Good brand. Cooking tips. Recipes.
>
> Thanks and happy biking, running and swimming!

I use an imported Italian brand called bionatureae. It is quite
affordable and sold in Whole Foods, health food stores, and regular
grocery stores. You should cook it al dente and not rinse it. It is
not good if it is not cooked enough, and if you cook it too much it gets
an unpleasant combination of gritty and gummy (regular pasta just
gets gummy). If you cook it to the right degree, it is excellent and
makes the same quantity of pasta seem much more filling than regular
"white" pasta. I especially like the fuscilli. I did not like whole
wheat pasta until I tried this brand, and I'm not a brand person in
general. In this case, the flour is entirely whole wheat semolina, and
I think the quality makes a difference.

"Al dente" means something like "to the tooth" and it means pasta that
is cooked through but is also somewhat firm. Bring the water to a nice
boil with maybe a little salt in it, throw in the pasta and take one out
and test it, repeating until you find the "al dente" point, until you
get your timing down.
Madelaine