Whole Wheat Pasta with Cabernet Marinara Sauce and Green Zebra Tomato served with Tempeh and Baby Arugula

Often when I visit nearby Carrboro, NC, I smell great tomato sauce in the air from one of the restaurants there. Yesterday's visited again reminded me about how much I love a good tomato sauce. I purchased some great whole wheat bread, and was considering making a sauce and pouring it over something like artichoke hearts atop the bread.

Instead, today I made some whole wheat pasta. I purchased some organic tomato sauce with wine, and brought it to a simmer, adding nutritional yeast and fresh herbs (basil and lemon sage) from my garden, as well as a little salt. I've not done much experimenting with adding fresh uncooked vegetables to my sauces, and took advantage of having some delicious green zebra tomatoes to do just that. When the sauce was done, I poured it over the pasta, and added chunks of the green tomato, plus a little diced red jalapeno.

Dinner was rounded out with sauteed tempeh and a baby arugula salad. It was simple but tasty!

By the way, for locals, I have been invited to do an Indian cooking demonstration the day after tomorrow, Wednesday September 12, 2012 in Chapel Hill at the Seymour Center. This is part of a 5-8p event, "An Evening in India". I will be on from 6:30-7p, and will be making bhindi (okra) and curried mushrooms, as can be seen, for example, in my students' dinner plate from 2006, 2008, or 2010. I believe that the program is open to the public and is free; folks will be able to sample the food that I will make. The Seymour Center is at 2551 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, and its phone number is 919-968-2070.