Growing up one of my favorite things has always been rain! I smell it as it slowly makes its grand entrance and have always gotten so excited I rush outside to wait for those first few delicious drops to arrive! Even now as a grow adult I find myself watching the clouds throughout the day silently willing rain to grace me with its presence. I know this all sounds a bit odd coming from someone who hates the cold. I am woman of mystery and contradictions. Lol.
So today is another one of those days. I can smell it coming. RAIN! Sitting in the living room watching Kai play on his jungle gym... Well not so much a jungle gym as an arm chair... Grand dads arm chair to be precise, I can't help but sneak peaks out the window to see if my old friend has returned. Just as I look outside it begins and I feel as though it waited just for me to witness it. Suddenly the grey cold outdoors transforms into a wet glistening vibrant wonderland!
I will always remember growing up being so excited that I would grab whoever I was with and go on a long walk out in the rain coming home hours later drenched and cold to the bone. Though while I remember feeling so cold my bones might shatter I also remember feeling so intensely exhilarated! I would dry off and put something warm and cozy on, make something delicious to fill my belly and then sit by a window to eat and watch my old friend shower the earth.
One of my favorite heart warming recipes for cold rainy days like this is my tomato cream sauce over pasta with roasted vegetables! Yum yum! Easy filling creamy noodly goodness! There is no better combination to accompany rain!
To make the sauce simple roast about 10 medium sized tomatoes, 3-4 red bell peppers, and a large onion till everything is lightly golden then toss it all in a blender with 2 fresh garlic cloves a can of coconut milk and about a teaspoon of salt and blend thoroughly. Chop up your vegetables, whatever vegetables you prefer, the ones I like best are asparagus, eggplant, bell pepper and onion. Toss your veggies with a drizzles of oil, I like coconut oil best, and a sprinkling of salt then bake till golden. While your veggies are baking cook up whatever pasta you prefer, we generally use rice noodles. Once your pasta is cooked drain and mix with your delicious creamy sauce then top with your roasted vegetables. Fill up your favorite bowl curl up next to a window and enjoy this dish with the beautiful view of the wonderment that is rain.