Black Beans And Orzo Salad

                          Pasta always comes handy for any simple n easy dish. Believe it or not there are more than 149 kinds of pasta available. Some of them are uniquely regional and not widely known. I Like using different shaped pasta in my food. Dish looks very appetising just by changing the shape of the pasta. For this recipe I used whole wheat ORZO pasta. It is shaped like a large grain of rice. you can serve it as part of soup, salad, pilaf.

                Looking for something light for the potluck party? Don't have time to cook? This salad is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. you can totally make this dish ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS:
Black beans - 1 can
Orzo pasta uncooked - 1 cup
Frozen corn thawed to room temp - 2/3 cup
red onion diced - 1 cup
jalapeno deseeded n diced -  2-3 (depends on your heat tolerence)
Orange bell pepper diced - 1 & 1/2 cup
coriander leaves chopped - 3 tbsp
Lime juice 3 tbsp
Dressing:
Olive oil - 1 Tbsp
Salt And pepper to taste
Chili flakes -1 tsp
Five spice Seasoning - 1/2 tsp
oregano 1/2 tsp

METHOD:
Cook Pasta According to the package directions. Then Drain. Keep it aside.
Take all ingredients except the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Now in a small pan, take all the ingredients for the dressing and put it on low heat.

Heat up this mix just enough so that the spices will not burn.
The reason why like to heat up is, I think a warm dressing gets absorbed nicely into pasta.
hence makes it more flavourful.
Then add the warm dressing to the salad and mix it well.
Serv it as a Main dish or side.


Makes 4-5 servings.

Penne With Asparagus and leek

Leek is something we don't have it on a daily basis. Though its a vegetable, lot of times it's been related to onion and garlic. The consumable part of it is the stalk part. cooked leeks are highly perishable even when kept in the refrigerator, will only stay fresh for 2 days. Besides it's health benefits I actually like its licorice flavor.
                Here is something which is quick n easy. Do give it a try.

Ingredients:


Uncooked penne pasta 6 Oz.
Chicken breast  2 chopped into cubes
Asparagus Trimmed and cut into 1" Pieces 8 Oz.
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Leek thinly sliced  1cup
garlic Sliced 3 cloves
chicken stock/Water 3 Tbsp
Mint leaves 8-10
Salt And pepper to taste
Chili flakes according to taste

Method:

Cook Pasta According to the package directions. Then Drain. Keep it aside.
Saute chicken in 1 tbsp olive oil till it's properly cooked, then remove it from the pan.

Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the same pan. Saute Asparagus over medium high temperature for 3 mins.Then toss in the sliced leek; saute for another 2 mins.

Now add garlic and at this time pour in about 3 tbsp of water/chicken stock if you have, to scrap of the pan.

Let it cook for a minute. Put Salt And Pepper.And chilli flakes too. (love heat).
Add pasta and cooked chicken. Give it good toss.

Garnish with some fresh mint leaves.

Makes 4 servings

Pesto Pasta with Asparagus And Chicken Sausage

 

 

            PASTA, once a humble peasant dish, is now an international culinary superstar. Why has this happened? Because pasta is not only simple to prepare at home, but also it is light and extraordinarily versatile. Somehow I like pasta dishes as I feel it can be that one dish which you can make it a balanced meal by adding Veggies, Carbs, Proteins. That's why I keep that for Fridays. If we aren't stepping out anywhere on that day, Pasta will surely be on the menu. Fridays are those days of the week when food is the last thing you want to worry about so why not keep it simple. This pasta dish I'm going share is even easier to make. Its all about putting all the elements together.

I love asparagus. Before coming to US Never even heard of asparagus. And I was never even open to try it too. But a friend introduced to this veggie. Now it is regular in my kitchen. Likewise, there are so many unusual veggies that I came across. which is now part of my grocery list.

For this Dish I used Farfalle Pasta But you can use any pasta you want. The name of the dish is quite self explanatory. so Don't have to explain much. I strongly recommend using Sun-dried tomatoes for this Pasta dish. But My Sunny Boy HATE it so I didn't add. but If you are ever going to try this recipe, please try Adding Sun-dried tomatoes ( u know the ones in olive oil). Now lets move forward with the recipe.

Ingredients:

Pasta (Farfalle) - 1 LB.
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Asparagus - 2 Bundles  (Cut into 1" Pieces)
Chicken Sausage -   4 Medium sized    (For alternative Cooked dices chicken can be used) Slice them
Pesto - 4- 5 tbsp. I used the store bought one
Chili flakes According to your taste
Salt And pepper to your taste

Method:

1. Cook Farfalle in a pot according to the packet instructions or until al dente.( don't forget to add salt to the water.
   
2. In the same pan heat oil And fry Chicken Sausage till golden brown. Then keep aside.
   
3. Now Sauté the asparagus for 2- 3 mins in the same pan. Add Salt and pepper. Then Keep Aside.
   
4. Now all you have to do is put every thing together in a large bowl and mix it.
5. Serve it hot or cold.

Makes 4 Servings.

 

 





Rotini with broccoli

           There is nothing fancy about this dish, its simple and easy. There are times when we get bored of eating typical desi food. That's when these kind of dishes come for my rescue.
          
             Since today I spend my whole day with my son doing different activities, gardening, Lego building,  painting. so I had no time to cook. Thought lets make it quick and easy. In 30 Minutes dinner was ready. I used only Broccoli But you can use your favorite vegetable in it. This is a busy day dinner for us. Hope you like it.

 Ingredients:

1 Bulb of garlic, minced
1 lb. Tri-color rotini pasta
1 small head broccoli, broken into florets
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)
Basil For garnishing


Procedure:

• Cook rotini in a pot according to the packet instructions or until al dente.( don't forget to add salt to the water.)
• 4 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the broccoli to the same pot.
• Reserve 1 ladle of the pasta water and drain the rest.
• heat oil in a pan on simmer, add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, chili flakes. Now add Rotini and broccoli and toss it.
• Season it with salt and pepper. if pasta looks dry a bit dry then add a little of the cooking pasta water and shake the pan to emulsify.
• Serve it hot with some grated parmesan cheese on top. Garnish it with Basil.

Makes 4 servings.

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Try this super quick pasta salad. Pasta salad usually served cold. so You can plan this salad for your next picnic.

INGREDIENTS:
Pasta -1 lb
Olive oil -2 tbsp
Chicken Breast diced- 1 lb
Red chilli flakes -1 tsp
Onions sliced -1/2 medium sized
Green bell pepper sliced -1/2 medium sized
Raisin - 1/2 cup(optional)
Mayonnaise - 3/4 cup
Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:

• Cook pasta according to the instruction on the box and keep aside. I have sed Fusilli pasta you can use any kind you want.
• Heat oil in a pan, add chicken ,onions, green bell pepper and raisins.
• cook until chicken is done and onion and bell peppers are soft. Add red chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
• Set aside to cool down. To this add mayo and toss with cooked pasta.
• Serve it cold.

Makes 2-3 servings.

SHRIMP SCAMPI PASTA

          I had been wanting to make this recipe for a while now. It is surprisingly quick and easy to make. It doesn't happen to be cooked often in my home as the only person who likes it, is me. But if you are a shrimp and pasta person you got to try this.

INGREDIENTS:
Garlic grated - 6 cloves
Lemon zested and juiced - 2
Olive oil - 4 tbsps
Red pepper flakes - 1tsp
Salt and black pepper powder
Shrimp medium peeled, deveined - 22 to 25
Green onion chopped - 10 stems
Spaghetti or linguini pasta - 400gms
Butter - 1 tbsp

METHOD:

• In a mixing bowl, Combine the garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and shrimp. Keep it aside to marinate.
• In a large pot, boil water in high heat and add generous amount of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until just tender.
• Drain and reserve 1 1/2 cup of cooking water.
• Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and reserve the marinade.then add the white parts of the green onions.
• Cook until they turn pink, may take 3 mins. Remove it from the pan and keep it aside.
• Add the marinade to the same pan, let it cook for few mins then add the pasta water.If you are ok with alcohol,You can use white wine instead of pasta water.Continue cooking until the sauce reduce to half. 
• Add in the zest and juice of the remaining lemon, the butter and the green onions and mix well.
• Add the shrimp and pasta and toss to combine with the sauce.
• Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

PASTA WITH TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS:
Cherry tomatoes - 8 - 9
Pasta -500 gms ( I used shell pasta but u can use any pasta u want.)
Parsley Fresh - 1 tsp
Apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp
Extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp
Honey -1/2 tbsp
chicken breast - 1
Ground pepper - 1/2 tsp
Parmesan cheese -1 tbsp
Salt t taste

METHOD:

• Place the tomatoes in large nonstick pan over medium heat and cook while stirring.
• Until its cooked with little charred skin. let it cool.
• In the same pan cook the chicken with water till its cooked thoroughly. keep it aside.
• After the chicken is cooled down dice it.(You can discard chicken if you want to make a vegetarian version).
• Cook pasta as per the package direction and keep it aside.(don't forget to salt the water)
• Combine the tomatoes, parsley, vinegar,olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until its smooth.
• Pour this tomato vinaigrette over the pasta, add chicken and toss until coated.
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and serve hot.

Makes 2 servings.