I was intrigued by the premise of Flower Chef Foods, which is to combine the comfort of traditional Italian cuisine with modern nutrition. Hence, I accepted an offer to try its artisanal gluten-free pasta.
Founder and CEO Jules Houser, known as the Flower Chef, embraced a plant-based lifestyle in 2011. She is the author of Plant-Based Heirlooms, which reimagines family recipes through a modern, gluten-free, plant-based lens.
“At Flower Chef Foods, we believe comfort food should never come with compromise,” Houser said in a statement. “Our pastas are designed for people who value good food and values, for those who want to eat well, love well, live well.”
The gluten-free pasta is sold as penne ($5.99) and fusilli ($5.99) and made from red lentil flour, chickpea flour, whole rice flour and water. I appreciated that it’s high in plant-based protein. Each 2-cup serving has 368 calories, 63 g of carbs and a whopping 19.2 g of protein.
I followed the instructions precisely in cooking the fusilli. Boiling the pasta for 6 min. kept it from becoming mushy, leaving me with a firm, denser pasta. I detected a slight nutty flavor, and I liked that the pasta paired well with the marinara sauce I added to it.
Of note, proceeds from each sale help fund Project Flower Power, a global food relief program for children facing hunger.
You can purchase Flower Chef Foods gluten-free pasta on Amazon.
Photo by Flower Chef Foods
Tags: gluten-free, pasta
