...Catelli's Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains with Chef Lynn Crawford (GIVEAWAY CONTEST!)

We're excited to hold a giveaway contest for a year's supply of Catelli's Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta ($200 value).  Read to the end of this post to find out how you can enter to win!

One of my favourite foods to eat growing up was my mother's spaghetti and meat sauce.  Growing up in a family where the cuisine was typically Chinese food, spaghetti and meat sauce was a change of pace.  Of course, my mother found a way to cook spaghetti Chinese style using the ingredients and flavours she knows best, by stir frying vegetables and meat with a soy and oyster based sauce.  Since then I've come to realize that pasta is a fantastic base for whatever flavours and ingredients you want to add.

Last week we were invited to the launch event of Catelli's Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta with celebrity Chef Lynn Crawford.  We jumped at the opportunity and in the end had a great time tasting and cooking with Chef Lynn, who is as animated, humorous and genuine as she is on TV.  One of my favourite Chef Lynn quotes, "Did you just call me babe?" (Restaurant Makeover), is now replaced with her comment "I like vegetarians...that eat bacon, sometimes".  When asked which Calgary restaurant is her favourite, she gave a shoutout to her fellow chef friends at Charcut and Rouge.

Catelli's Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta will be first launched in Western Canada only.  It comes in three pasta cuts: spaghetti, spaghettini and rotini.  The pasta is made from a blend of quinoa, amaranth, teff, sorghum, millet and GMO-free whole wheat.  Most of us know the health benefits of whole grains and ancient grains but the real question is how does it taste?  There is a slight nutty flavour and firmer texture to the pasta that we really enjoyed.  Here are three tips we found helpful that Chef Lynn shared with us to make the most of whole grain pasta:

-Delicate pasta shapes go well with delicate sauces and heartier, ridged shapes pair well with richer sauces and ragus.

-Whole grain pasta has the perfect texture for cold or chilled recipes and marinates well in tangy dressings.  The firmness of the noodles also provides a good base for both crunchy and juicy fresh vegetables

-Whole grain pasta can take on strong and complex flavours.   Ingredients that pair well include garlic, chilli, anchovies, rich pesto sauces and bitter or dark leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard and radicchio.

We had the chance to make one of Chef Lynn's recipes- Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing.  This tasty recipe is perfect for the upcoming warmer months and is super quick to prepare.  In the time it took for us to boil the pasta we were done prepping the vegetables and ready to plate.  Stay tuned for the recipe.

Group shot!

ENTER TO WIN!

To enter to win a year's supply (60 boxes, valued at $200) of Catelli's Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta, you must be a Canadian resident and all you have to do is:

-Comment below with your favourite pasta dish. (Use your first name to enter, it will have to match your email sender info.  Comments will be moderated.)

-Double your chances of winning by following us on Twitter @dcfortheloveof and tweeting (optional): 
"I entered @dcfortheloveof giveaway for a year supply of Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta! http://bit.ly/1DDlwAy"

A random winner will be selected from all the entries.  The contest closes on April 1, 2015.  In the meantime, if you want to pick up a box of Catelli's Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta, check out this $1 off coupon!

**CONTEST CLOSED- The winner is Lisa B. from Ottawa!  Congratulations!

Photos courtesy of Gail Bergman PR