It’s no secret that I love pasta. I really love pasta. The versatility of the shapes and sauces are so fun to mix and match, the variations are practically endless! Then there is the fact that kids also like pasta, better known as baby noodles in our house, and it’s easy to get them to the dinner table when pasta is being served. When I grew up, I actually didn’t know white pasta existed because it was all brown in my house. My husband, on the other hand, only had white pasta and was convinced that whole grain pasta was too chewy, kinda like cardboard. That all changed when we tried Barilla® Whole Grain! It looks and tastes great; he didn’t even realize I had changed from his regular white pasta — score!
Like you, I strive to provide my family with not only healthy, but also delicious and beautiful food. We all know what we should be eating, but making healthy food accessible and delicious is the key to keeping your family on board. Whole grains are shown to lower the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer. They also contain protein, fiber, vitamin B and trace minerals such as iron and magnesium. But even they’re really good for your health, over 40% of Americans never eat whole grains! Most Americans eat less than one serving per day. Pathetic. So Barilla and I are here to make things easier for you.
You want your family to eat more whole grains, but labels can be confusing and misleading. This label is neither! You would like to add more whole grains to your diet, but where do you start? This is such an easy switch to make. Barilla whole grain is made with 51% whole wheat, providing three times more fiber than regular pasta. All these health benefits are wrapped up for you in a delicious pasta your family will love. If, for some reason, your family isn’t as thrilled as mine, Barilla has a taste guarantee. If you don’t love the taste of Barilla Whole Grain Pasta you can get a box of your favorite Barilla pasta for free. Simply visit trybarillawholegrain.com for guarantee details. The site also has more information on whole grain benefits, recipes, and a Dinner Kit to make it easier for you to get those whole grains into your family’s routine.
This recipe is for a creamy vegan mushroom sauce with seitan served over Barilla whole grain thin spaghetti. Seriously quick, beautiful and delicious. 
Ingredients:
8 ounces drained seitan
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Earth Balance organic buttery spread
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/3 cups soy milk
2-3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons fresh herbs – basil, oregano or Italian parsley in a combination of your choice, along with salt and pepper
13.25 ounces Barilla Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti prepared as directed
Method: In a non-stick or lightly oiled pan, lightly brown seitan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes and set aside. Boil water and prepare pasta as directed. In a large pan, heat a little olive oil and melt the margarine, add the mushrooms and saute until soft and dark in color. Turn heat to low and add the milk and flour, stirring until smooth. Add basil, oregano, seitan, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauce will thicken upon standing — you may thin it with water or soy milk as needed. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.
SWEEPSTAKES Question: What do you love about Barilla Whole Grain?
Rules:
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You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
b) Tweet about this promotion @BarillaUS with the following unique term in your message #BarillaWG and link to your tweet in a comment on this post.
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to your post in a comment on this post.
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This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents age 18 or older.
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You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/21/12-3/31/12.
Be sure to visit the Barilla® Whole Grain round-up page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!