Porcini Mushroom di Apennine Sauce over Multigrain Pasta, Vegan Apple-Sage Sausage, Sunchoke

I don't generally like things that look like meat; I'm a vegetarian (vegan!) and easily find a tremendous diversity of good food choices. I don't at all have a problem with other people enjoying meat analogues, but they generally just don't look appetizing to me.

One of the few exceptions is a fully vegan wheat-based artisanal apple-sage sausage by the Field Roast Grain Meat Company. We love their products and buy them on their own merits, in spite of their looking like meat; they are readily available at Whole Foods Market and area coops. Their Celebration Roast is also delicious, as are all of their products we've had - and they're all very easy to prepare.

I didn't have much time to put dinner together tonight as we had spent significant time at Common Ground (a very nice new green building center - we're using their non-toxic paints, and they came up with a near exact match for the white trim in my house) and I was then running late for a film at the state art museum. I had some multigrain pasta elbows waiting to be prepared and some Seeds of Change brand Porcini Mushroom di Apennine sauce. I started the sauce simmering, adding some fresh basil and oregano, as well as chopped olives. I also took these vegan sausages and, with very little oil over medium heat in a cast iron pan, cooked them for a few minutes.

As part of the salad, I served a Florida avocado. I had never purchased Jerusalem artichokes(also called sunchokes) before a few days ago, and understand that they can be eaten cooked or raw. I tried slicing them raw - they were crispy and watery, reminding me of water chestnuts.

I'm not sure if I will have a blog entry tomorrow; we are going with friends to see the Paperhand Puppet Intervention theatre performance I am an Insect. We may each put together some picnic items and eat at the outdoor show.