birthday dessert ideas: Vegetables

Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts

Pico de Gallo

I must make this like once a week. At least. We put it on so, so many different things. From tacos, quesadillas, nachos, eggs and even potatoes.

What food do you top with Pico de Gallo?

Pico de Gallo Recipe

2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 lime, juiced
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Cut and chop everything and mix it together. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly.

{recipe} Clear vegetable soup

I like my soup to be chunky, dont like it completely smooth. And one soup I love is the clear vegetable soup. I remember having a version of this in Cascade years ago. Last month one day I stood staring into the veg tray for a few minutes, shut the fridge and repeated the same once again. I gave up! I had 2 carrots, a small piece of cabbage, 1 onion, 1 potato, handful of fresh peas, 1 tiny bit of zucchini, 1 tomato and a small piece of tofu. I broke my head for a while and finally a lightbulb moment happened. I decided to make the soup for dinner and have it with 2 slices of multi grain bread.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup cabbage
1 onion
2 carrots
1 potato
1/4 cup peas
1 tomato
1/4 zucchini
50-60 grams tofu
1 liter water
Salt
Black pepper
2 cloves of Garlic
1 tsp vinegar

Method

1. Chop all the veggies into cubes and set aside.
2. In a pan, add oil, saute the onions, garlic for a few minutes and then add the rest of the chopped veggies and saute them for 3-4 mins
3. Add water and allow it to come to a boil, cooking the veggies [if you want you can pre-cook the potato and peas]
4. Once the vegetables are all cooked, take a tbsp of the same and puree.
5. Add puree back to the boiling vegetables in water and let it simmer
6. Add salt and black pepper along with vinegar [this gives it a nice kick] and finally add the tofu. Let it boil for a minute and turn off stove

Your soup is now ready to be served!!

Options:
You can add any vegetable you can get your hands on- cauliflower, broccoli, beans, zucchini, mushrooms,pumpkin, squash, boiled chickpeas etc etc
You can also add an egg at the end- crack open the egg and drizzle from a height, and stir- this becomes an egg drop soup :D
You can infact add a few spinach leaves if you have them [ quite like the change in colour]
You can make the same with meat as well
If you like it spicy and with heat, add few chopped red chillies
To make it a better meal, you can toss in some boiled noodles/pasta/macarooni
Similarly, a bay leaf will boost the soup's flavour

As you can see, sky is the limit when it comes to soups!!

Garlic Fries

I love all the blogs that I am introduced to on the Secret Recipe Club. This month I had the privilege to peruse Tea and Scones. I found several delicious recipes, however I limited myself as this month I am eating a vegan diet. I chose her Garlic Fries. She said that she could devour these with just about anything and I completely agree!

I picked up a whole bunch of fingerling potatoes at the farmers market. I am also avoiding oil so I just roasted these with water and no oil. The fingerling potatoes crisped up just fine without oil.

I made some frozen fried for the kids and they loved the garlic on them. I'm thinking that we have a new way to make fries now.

This is day 23 of 30 Days of Vegan recipes. I am so loving this way of eating. Not difficult at all.

Garlic Fries Recipe
Adapted from Tea and Scones

3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 baked potatoes or fingerling potatoes or frozen french fries

Heat garlic cloves and a bit of water and water saute garlic for a minute or so. Set aside.

Cut potatoes into sticks or use small fingerling potatoes. Toss potatoes with water sauteed garlic and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Toss to combine. Bake at 450 for about 35 minutes until potatoes are done.

If you're using frozen fries, cook first according to directions and then toss with garlic, garlic powder and salt. Put back in oven for about 5 minutes.

Alternate method: You can use a couple of tablespoons of oil on the potatoes as well.

Green Beans with Onions and Red Peppers

The farmers market is just beautiful this time of year. The colors, the freshness, it's overwhelming. I usually walk through twice just to make sure I didn't miss anything. The green beans caught my eye this time. It had been awhile since we've had them. The onions there were just huge and the peppers came in every color.

This might not be the most amazing recipe or the most complex but it was delicious. Delicious in it's simplicity. I love just tasting the freshness with every bite. I had to post it just as a reminder to me to make it more often.

Green Beans with Onions and Red Peppers

Green Beans, fresh or frozen, about 1 1/2 lbs.
Onions, 1 large
Red Pepper, 1 large
Salt and pepper

Water saute onion and pepper for 4 - 5 minutes. Throw in green beans and cook until still crisp tender.

Garlic Hummus Veggie Lettuce Wraps

I came home with this organic romaine lettuce and was excited to make these sandwiches or wraps. I usually eat hummus just as a dip for veggies. But there is something more satisfying about a sandwich. It seems more like a meal, rather than a snack.

I topped mine with cucumber, tomato and red onion. You can add other veggies or avocado as well. Just enjoy!

This is day 14 of 30 Days of Vegan Recipes.

Popular question:

Do I miss meat?

Not. At. All.

Garlic Hummus Veggie Lettuce Wraps

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves

¼ cup veggie broth (or water) to thin

Place all ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

Orange Squash

I always seem to have some sort of squash on my counter. Today I had a butternut squash and spaghetti squash. Butternut squash is perfect just plain, it really doesn't need anything. Spaghetti squash is more on the plain side and does need some perking up. While I mostly eat my butternut squash plain, today I added a bit of flavor. It is a subtle flavor. You just get a bit of the orange flavor and it is delicious.

I ate this with some Chipotle Black Beans and some rice. Normally I would have liked to add more green to my plate but I'd had a lot of green earlier in the day so I was okay with it.

I did ~~overcook~~ caramelize this just a bit this time. The sauce got thicker and darker but still tasted great.

This is Day 5 of 30 days of vegan recipes. I'm not finding this challenge too hard. The only thing I need to remember is not to eat leftovers off my kids plates. I usually tend to finish the last couple bites of their omelet or eat a bite of cheese as I'm cutting it for them. I've stopped that and it's starting a good habit for me.

Having trouble sleeping? Dry tongue? Elena from Vegalicious has some great thought about these symptoms and Magnesium.

Orange Squash Recipe

1 medium squash, about 1 1/2 lbs. I used butternut squash
2/3 cup water
3 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
1/2 tsp. ginger

Peel and seed squash. Cut into 1/2 in. pieces. In a large saucepan, add squash, water, orange juice and ginger. Simmer about 20 minutes until the squash is tender, stirring often to combine the flavors.

Bread upma with a difference

Ever since I moved to a place of my own, it has been fun in all ways. I enjoy cooking for Me. I have the freedom to make anything I feel like. There are days when I eat cornflakes with fruits, and other days I make roti with a veggie side, or like today I make Bread upma and just add anything my eyes fall on. Here is what I made today,

Ingredients:
7 grain Bread [multi grain]- 3 slices Onion- 1 Tomato- 2 Ginger garlic paste- 1tsp Mustard seeds- 1/4tsp Oil - 1tsp Egg-1 Salt- to taste Garam Masala powder- 1/2 tsp

Process:
In a pan, add oil, onions, ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute and then add tomatoes once the onions go golden,. Now add salt and garam masala powder and saute well. In a flat pan, toast the bread slices without any oil/ghee and once they are done, cut them up into small pieces and keep them aside Add the bread pieces to the masala and toss well. Break an egg and add to the mixture and scramble the same within the mix.

Serve HOT!!

Black Bean Southwestern Lasagna

My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. While I am more of a bean and cheese sorta gal. Up until recently, he was only home 2 - 3 evenings a week, tops. He worked all the other evenings. I would make our meat meals on the nights that he was here. The other days of the week, we'd eat our vegetarian meals or breakfast for dinner. This worked well. Until he switched jobs. He now is home every evening. Which is great for the family but there had to be some compromises when it came to dinner.

In the past I've served some meals without meat and they've gone over well. I made this Black Bean Lasagna and thought about putting chicken in it, but didn't. Hubs ate like 3 pieces and didn't even ask what was in it. Score! Maybe meatless meal will go over better than I thought!

This seriously was the easiest thing to put together. Simple recipe but wonderful, awesome flavor! I know I'll be making it again. I know hubs will agree too!

Black Bean Southwestern Lasagna

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans Rotel with green chiles, undrained
1 can of corn, drained
1 tbsp. taco seasoning
3 cups shredded cheese, I used colby jack and cheddar
12 corn tortillas

In a large bowl, stir together black beans, tomatoes, Rotel, corn, and taco seasoning. Spread about 1/2 cup of bean mixture on the bottom of a 9 x 13 in baking pan. Place 6 tortillas over the bean mixture. Layer 1/2 the bean mixture, then 1 cup of shredded cheese over the tortillas. Then add the other 6 tortillas, the other 1/2 of the bean mixture and the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, covered with foil.

Stir Fry w/ Sesame Sauce - 17 Day Diet - Day 15

So what do you do when you have a refrigerator full of vegetables and you're doing the 17 Day Diet? Make stir fry of course. I think I used every vegetable I had. I just kept chopping until the pan was full. I love how pretty and colorful it is! I totally need to make this more often.

Day 15 - 17 Day Diet Menu Plan

Green Chile Eggs
Banana
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Yogurt
Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wrap
Yogurt

I've been eating a lot of buffalo chicken. I like to cook a whole bunch of chicken in the crockpot and smother it with Franks buffalo sauce. Sometimes I'll throw a packet of ranch dressing in there. Then I shred it, or leave it whole and have buffalo chicken in my refrigerator to eat on salad or on a lettuce wrap.

Stir Fry with Sesame Sauce Recipe

1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into bite size chunks

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli
1 cup pea pods, ends trimmed

1 zucchini

1 yellow summer squash

2 carrots
2 celery stalks

1 red pepper

1 large onion
1 can water chestnuts

3 green onions

Sauce:

3/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp. garlic,minced

3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup splenda or other sweetener

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. cornstarch

3/4 tsp. red pepper

Hot sauce, optional

Chop all the veggies into bite sized chunks. Brown the chicken in a pan with a bit of cooking spray. Add celery and carrots and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add onions and red pepper, cook for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and the sauce and cook until veggies are done and sauce is thickened, about 6 - 8 minutes.

The Great Biryani Cookout from CFG

I've been with the Chennai Food Guide group for a while and its been an amazing journey! Apart from restaurant reviews, the team has now branched out into organising various workshops. Though i've not attended any, the feedback and reviews have been left me quite envious. One more is in the offing.. It is the.... drum rolls please..... c'mon, keep em coming....

The Great Biryani Cookout

Who does not like a good biryani? I have had quite a few across restaurants and some were outstanding [simple yet packed with flavour] while others well, less said the better. But i have always wanted to learn the art of making a good Biryani [wonder when that will happen]. For now, here is a treat for all you wannabe Masterchefs, or rather wannabe Biryani connoisseurs

When-- Saturday, June 23, 2012

What Time-- 11am through to 2.30pm

Where-- Lakshmi Farms.

How to Get there-- It is 3rd Farm House on the RIGHT HAND SIDE after the ECR Toll Gate from Thiruvanmyur towards Mahabs. You won't miss the place on the day of the event!

Who's teaching-- Learn from the best there is, a traditional Chef - Rajab who has under his chef's hat over15 years of experience of cooking Tamil Muslim Style Biryani at weddings, and other functions. Tempting right?

What is in store for you??

This workshop completely teaches you how to cook Biryani (Veggie, Mutton and Chicken) Chennai Tamil Muslim Style from the beginning till the very end, along with the Chicken 65, Raitha, Brinjal Thokku and Bread Halwa. The idea is that all participants get engaged right from cutting the vegetables, washing the rice to loading the Biryani in the Dum.

Later you all can eat what you have cooked.

Note: SEPARATE COOKING AND PREPARATION FOR VEGGIES AND NON VEGGIES [ so, dont smirk or scrunch up your face at the mention of Non veg biryani being cooked alongside veg]

Things on the COOK, EAT & LEARN Menu:

VEG MENU
1) Veg Biryani
2) Gobi 65
3) Onion Raitha
4) Brinjal Thokku
5) Bread Halwa
6) Flavoured Sweet Rice

NON VEG MENU
1) Chicken Biryani
2) Mutton Biryani
3) Chicken 65
4) Onion Raitha
5) Brinjal Thokku
6) Bread Halwa
7) Flavoured Sweet Rice

Scaled Recipe Booklet will be Provided and Instructed by a Traditional and Experienced Cook/ Chef.

Cooking will be done in traditional vessel and possibly using wood fire.

Everyone gets to take home Desserts - Bread Halwa and Flavoured Sweet Rice

Unlimited Soft Drinks and Water will be available

How much-- 1499/- Per Person [Includes everything mentioned above]

What to bring-- A Chopping board & a Knife [so we dont get caught if you accidently commit any crimes, other than chopping veggies/meat that is...]

How to Register?

Those who are interested to take part in the CFG Biryani Workshop on Saturday June 23rd 11am-3pm need to contact Nishanth Radhakrishnan via mobile +919840340490 or email him on nishanth@chennaifoodguide.in

Your participation will be confirmed for the event once payment is done. You can come deliver the amount to our office. Address details are as follows:
Chennai Food Guide
ARZ Consultancy
No. 17/12 Venkatrathinam Nagar
Extension 2nd Street
Adyar, Chennai - 600020
Behind Cafe Coffee Day

For e-transfer - email Nishanth [nishanth@chennaifoodguide.in] for account details.

First Come First Serve Basis: 50 People only

ALSO GET DISCOUNT VOUCHER FROM DAAWAT A BIRYANI for all participants. For more info on them visit: http://www.facebook.com/daawatabiriyani

What are you waiting for? Vethala paakku or the red carpet??? Get going and Register already!!

You can also check out the Facebook page for The Great Biryani Cookout

Roasted Veggies with Pineapple

Pineapple is one of my favorite things to add to foods. It's sweetness blends well with many foods and changes it just enough to make it unique or different. I just added pineapple to baked beans last night. I also love what it does for topping on a meatloaf with BBQ sauce. Eating with a pile of roasted veggies was incredible as well.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can add what you'd like from the refrigerator. Don't skip the garlic though. It might not be your first choice with pineapple but I loved the contrast in flavors. It certainly made for an awesome, healthy side dish!

Roasted Veggies with Pineapple Recipe
Adapted from Our Eating Habits

1 can pineapple chunks
2 small zucchini, sliced into coins
1 handful of baby carrots
2 bell peppers
1 onion, chopped into chunks
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all the veggies, the pineapple in the juice and the spices together in a 9 x 13 in. baking dish. Bake at 425 for about 25 minutes or until veggies are done to your liking.

Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Pepitas

I was looking to make something light, fresh and easy. This certainly fit. The pepitas were awesome but you could certainly use sunflower seeds if you can't find pepitas.

I love carrots and this was such a good marinade for them. I've been trying to make healthy side dishes like this. This is especially nice and light for the summer.

What healthy and light side dishes do you recommend?

Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Pepitas
Adapted from Good Cheap Eats

4 cups shredded carrots, 1 bag
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, pepitas and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, cumin, oregano and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Toss the dressing with the carrot mixture. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

One Year Ago...

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

This is linked with:
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
Hearth and Soul Hop at 21st Century Housewife
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Kelly The Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesdays
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Gluten Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Homemaker
Recipe Linky at Newleyweds
Whole Food Wednesdays at This Chick Cooks
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tater Tots and Jello

Carrot Souffle

I often will buy a ginormous bag of carrots at Costco. The bag never quite seems so big until you are trying to stuff it in your refrigerator.

As soon as I saw this recipe from Family, Stamping and FOOD, I was interested. I had never seen anything like this; it sounded sweet and delicious. Plus, the idea of using up 2 lbs. of carrots sealed the deal.

I understand the picture is rotten. I didn't even have a sprig of something to garnish, no ideas to put a carrot as a prop in the background. Nope, just a plop of bright orange deliciousness dumped on a plate. Forget about the picture. Just use up those carrots and make this awesome carrot souffle!

Carrot Souffle Recipe
Recipe from Food, Stamping and Food

2 lbs. carrots, washed and chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. all purpose flour (I used gluten free)
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add carrots. Cook until soft enough to mash, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain carrots and transfer to a large mixing bowl. With electric mixer, blend and mash carrots.

Add sugar, baking powder and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add flour, ginger and butter and beat until smooth. Taste to see if you need to add more sugar. Now add the eggs and beat completely. Pour mixture into an 8 - 8 in. baking dish.

Bake for about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes until top is golden.

One Year Ago...

Butternut Squash Penne Pasta

This is linked with:
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Twice Baked Cauliflower and Potatoes

I had every intention of following the original recipe when I saw this. Then I found out that I didn't have as much cauliflower as I originally thought. So I added potatoes.

I think it was better adding the potatoes for the family too. This way I could tell them that it was potatoes, and be telling the truth.

I thought this was excellent. I would totally nix the potatoes and just use cauliflower. No, cauliflower doesn't taste like potatoes but it's not supposed to. This is very healthy and still makes your mouth happy.

Twice Baked Cheesy Cauliflower & Potatoes
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

1 lb. cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 lb. potatoes, chopped
4 oz. cream cheese, light
1/2 cup sour cream, light
2 tbsp. onions
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
8 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
2 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook potatoes and cauliflower in boiling water until until soft. I found cooking the potatoes for about 10 minutes and then adding the cauliflower until they were both soft worked well. Drain well and mash with a potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, onion, parmesan cheese and the crumbled bacon. Spread evenly in an 8 x 8 in. pan. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

One Year Ago...

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is linked with:
Tuesday at the Table at All The Small Stuff
Hearth and Soul at 21st Century Housewife
Tasty Tidbits at Permanent Posies
Slightly Indulgent at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Best Recipe at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.

Japan Fruit...

Me: Is it a different kind of tomato?

Gramma: No, it looks different... I havent seen this kind of tomato before

Me: Hmm.. it is in the fruit section.... Do you have any idea what it could be?

Gramma : [She looked at me perplexed...]

I then turned to the salesman behind the Apples counter and asked him what fruit it was..

Salesguy: Japan Fruit madam.. See that box next to it, it has the chopped fruit as well..

I instantly tweeted asking the kind souls out there if they had seen/tasted this fruit. Within few minutes, one of those souls replied saying "yes, have seen this before, it is also called Persimmon"

From Wikipedia- They are high in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, and possess various medicinal and chemical uses. Like the tomato, it is not considered a "common berry", but is in fact a "true berry" by definition.

We were tempted to buy one and try, but put it off for another day... I got home and did some snooping around on the net... What i found had me curious..

Health benefits of persimmon fruit
[Source:http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html]
The fruit is low in calories (provides 70 cal/100g) and fats but is rich source of dietary fiber.

Persimmons contain many health benefiting phyto-nutrients flavonoid poly-phenolic anti-oxidants like catechinsand gallocatechinsas well as important anti-tumor compound betulinic acid. Catechins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic (prevents bleeding from small blood vessels) properties.

Fresh permissions contain anti-oxidant compounds like vitamin-A, beta-carotene, lycopene,lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin. Together, these compounds functions as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that plays a role in aging and various disease processes.

zeaxanthin,an important dietary carotenoid, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions; thus, helps prevent "Age related macular disease"(ARMD) in the elderly.

The fruits are also very good source of vitamin-C, another powerful antioxidant (especially native Chinese and American persimmons; provide 80% of DRI). Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.

The fruit is good in many valuable B-complex vitamins such as folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), thiamin...etc. These vitamins act as co-factors for numerous metabolic enzymatic functions in the body.

Fresh Persimmon fruits also contain healthy amounts of minerals like potassium, manganese (15% of DRI), copper (12% of DRI), and phosphorus. Manganese is a co-factor for the enzyme, superoxide dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.

You bet on my next sighting of this fruit, i am going to grab one!!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I've made cauliflower mashed potatoes before and wasn't overly impressed. It tasted like mashed cauliflower, which is fine as I like cauliflower.

However, I wanted mashed POTATOES so this time I mixed half and half and it turned out perfect! It still had the texture like mashed potatoes but the healthiness with the cauliflower.

The best part was that hubs didn't even notice. He loved them. Yea!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Adapted from What's Cooking at The Genua's?

Potatoes, peeled (1.9 oz)
Cauliflower, cut in chunks (1.3 oz.)
¼ cup milk of your choice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1.Place the cauliflower, potato and garlic into a pot large enough to hold it all. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
2.When it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes. Making sure the cauliflower is very tender and soft.
3.Drain and return to pot. Add the milk and butter.
4.Using a hand mixer or potato masher, mash till smooth! Add salt and pepper as needed.

One Year Ago...

Veggie Wraps with Caramelized Black Bean Butter

This is linked with:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at SS & GF
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
What's on your Plate? at Good Cheap Eats
Crockpot Wednesday at Dining with Debbie
My Best Recipes at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Side Dish Saturday at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Pastas

The last weekend when i was away and travelling, i ate Pasta atleast once a day, not because i love it that much, but because it was the only item on the menu apart from the boring Rice and Roti.... :-)

Back home too, i enjoy cooking Pasta- everytime i try to bring home a different kind of pasta, experiment with different sauces/pesto and recipes [ all of which are created by yours truly] and dish it out.. I can proudly say that till date it has not disappointed me.. Am happy about my taste palate... :-)

Even though pastas originated in Italy, it has become quite common here in India too... And a good alternative to rotis, rice, pizza and sandwiches...

Some of the different kinds of Pastas are-

Farfelle- Bow Pasta, which is my alltime favourite- cos they look so cute :)

Fettucine, long flat noodle kind of pasta.. i like these, but grandparents find them difficult to eat, so they are the last resort

Fussili- twirly pasta... Love these as well..

Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta, ideal for pasta made with sauce

Conchiglie, these resemble little shells and come in 2 sizes, small and big...

Penne, the traditional small pipe shaped pasta... Most commonly found and used... These come in single colour and Tricolour as well..

Fusili pasta made with Wheat flour.. These take a bit longer than the maida ones to cook, but are healthier...

Lasagna, pasta in the form of sheets that is used by layering the sheets between vegetables, topped with chees e and baked in the oven.. I havent made this, but have had it in restaurants..

I have seen a few more varieties on the net and heard from Friends who live abroad, but not seen them as part of the menu ..

Which is your favorite????