Simple Spaghetti and All the Tea from China

Tonight my parents returned from their month-long trip to China with fabulous stories and carrying bribery in the form of tea.... lots of tea.

Too bad the little monkey (aka Rascal) isn't a fan as he decided a good sulk was in order and is still hiding somewhere, whereabouts unknown.

After they arrived home following their 15 hour+ flight, we ate dinner and chatted as we sipped some "longevity" tea from an organic tea plantation in Guilan. 

Afterwards, we spent hours viewing some of the pictures they took on their trip. Although they had been up for over 36 hours straight (not a wink of sleep on the plane), they were trying hard to make it to 10pm to get themselves back on Toronto time as quickly as they possibly can.

For dinner, I prepared a simple tomato and vegetable sauce over rice pasta, nothing too fancy as I knew they would want something light after their month-long intake of Chinese food.

This recipe involves minimal prep work, but for maximum flavour must be simmered for an hour or so. 

Enjoy!

Simple Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1-2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

handful of basil, roughly chopped

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Heat coconut oil in large saucepan over medium heat
2. Add chopped onion and saute until soft and translucent (~10minutes)
3. Add garlic cloves, salt, bay  leaves, chili flakes and saute for a couple more minutes
4. Add mushrooms and saute until they have released their water
5. Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil
6. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour or so
7. Serve over your favourite pasta with parmesan cheese