July 28, 2021

Gluten Free Kalamata Balsamic Pasta

This kalamata balsamic pasta couldn’t be easier, and it is so tasty. The substitution of chickpea noodles for regular pasta makes for a more satiating and protein-centered meal, while olives, red onion, and balsamic vinegar pack in the flavor.

My pasta addiction continues. This time, I had to switch it up, removing gluten and adding balsamic vinegar and olives.

I have a strict policy of continuously exposing myself to foods I don’t like until I grow to love them. In fact, I hesitate to even say “I don’t like this.” Instead I might say “I don’t like this, yet.” This transition is currently happening with olives.

Many people decide they don’t like something, and never touch it again. In my opinion, that is the wrong approach. The resistance people feel is not in their palate – it is in their head. Sure, the palate can have a negative reaction at first exposure to something new, but it is a shame to give up on enjoying that new flavor forever as a result.

The palate is highly adaptable, and it fascinates me. Just like the brain, it is malleable, constantly developing and changing. In fact, taste buds regenerate every two weeks, not every 7 years. By that logic, one could expose oneself to a food every two weeks and have a new experience each time.

Taste does change over the long term as well, with children showing evolutionary preference to sweets and broadening their horizons as they transition to adulthood. By then, most people have nine to ten thousand taste buds, which unfortunately no longer regenerate at a 1:1 replacement rate by the time middle age comes around. And for many elderly adults, like my grandma, the sense of smell so intimately connected with taste has by old age deteriorated completely.

My dad has noted to me on many occasions that my grandparents’ lives seem to revolve around food, and it’s nowhere near as big a deal to him. On the other extreme, a bodybuilding friend of mine eats the exact same meals each week, and is fine with the lack of variety. I am with my grandparents on this one, but I do not want to wait until my sense of taste has degenerated to start enjoying meals to the fullest. Instead, I would like my life to revolve around food now, even more than it already does. I yearn to experience as many flavors and combinations as possible, as often as possible, because food to me is the greatest pleasure of life.

Interestingly, we don’t know exactly what causes the decline in taste and smell, but evidence does find neurotransmitter similarities in those with smell loss and those with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Equally curious, research has also found that employees in the perfume industry experience better smell (and therefore, taste) as they age due to their continuous and varied exposure to novel smells.

Unsurprisingly, our brain plasticity and taste preferences are intricately connected. Thus, the sciences backs me up on the fact I can decide to enjoy any food I want — it doesn’t matter what pleasure I derive from first taste. All that matters is having an open mind (and of course, no allergies or intolerances to the food in question).

All of that said, I encourage you to give this recipe a try, even if (and especially if!) it contains ingredients you do not usually eat. And whether or not you are avoiding gluten, I am confident you will love this chickpea pasta, especially as it contains more protein and less carbs than conventional noodles.

Now, after a few exposures, I can’t see what’s not to love about kalamata olives. Next up: artichokes!

Image of plated gluten free kalamata balsamic pasta

Love Pasta? Here’s some others to try:

If you try this dish, please leave me a comment and rating — it is a small action that shows huge support for my dream of becoming a full time food blogger. Until–and when–I am experiencing huge success, I wish you peace, love, flavor, and pasta.