Roasted Vegetable Summer Salad

For my grandparent’s 65th Wedding Anniversary all the grandkids brought side dishes.  I decided it was high time to create a new pasta salad. 

I roasted up a whole bunch of veggies because, let’s face it, roasted veggies taste amazing.  And, I can actually eat them when they are roasted. 

Then, I tossed them in some pasta cooked in chicken broth, marinated with some olive oil, garlic, onion, and herbs. 

The result was a delicious salad – perfect served hot or cold. 

Roasted Vegetable Summer Salad

Ingredients

• 2 C chicken broth
• 2 1/2 C small shaped pasta
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• 4 C water
• 1 C chopped broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
• 2 C baby carrots
• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 1 medium zucchini
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 4-6 oz. cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 1 can (~15 oz) Great White Northern Beans, rinsed & drained
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Olive oil

Directions

Place 2 1/2 C small pasta (we used rings, but small shells would work well too) in a large stockpot.  Add 2 C chicken broth (should be enough to nearly cover the pasta; if not, top off with water).  Sprinkle in up to 1/2 tsp. minced garlic and 1 tsp. minced onion.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Once the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid (about 3 minutes of boiling), add in the 4 C of water and continue cooking according to package directions.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, chop up your veggies.  Chop the bell peppers into 1-inch pieces, zucchini into quarters, and mushrooms into quarters.  Halve the cherry tomatoes, if using (I highly recommend doing so!).  Note – it the carrots are thick “baby carrots”, slice them in half lengthwise. 

Arrange the veggies on a large cookie sheet lined with a piece of foil coated lightly in olive oil.  Spritz with additional olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper, basil and oregano. 

Roast at 450 for 30-45 minutes until crisp tender and nicely roasted.  Stir occasionally during this time and, if you are using frozen broccoli, you may need to remove the broccoli sooner than the other veggies. 

When pasta is ready and veggies are done, stir them together.  Mist lightly with olive oil to maintain moistness.  Season with additional salt, pepper, basil, & oregano.

Stir in white beans and garnish with dried parsley, if desired. 

Serve warm or chilled. 

This makes a great stand-alone salad, but would also be delicious with chicken either in the salad or along side it.  Grilled chicken would be even better!  Enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tri-Color Pasta with Tri-Color Veggies

This is a great summer lunch or a good addition to a BBQ. 

The veggies are crisp-tender, tossed with basil (fresh would be awesome) and Parmesan cheese. 

Just add the pasta and you have lunch!

Tri-Color Pasta with Tri-Color Veggies

Ingredients

• Red, Orange & Yellow bell peppers, julienned
• 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tsp. basil (dried)
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• 6 oz. Tri-Color Pasta (we used rotini)
• splash of lemon juice
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by bringing a pot of water to a boil for your pasta.  When ready, add your pasta and cook according to package directions.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, saute the julienned bell peppers and sliced bella mushrooms in a large skillet in 1 tsp. olive oil. 

When veggies are crisp-tender and the pasta is done, stir the veggies and pasta together.  At this point, remove the skillet from the heat.   

Stir in the basil and Parmesan cheese.

Season with a splash of lemon juice, salt & pepper. 

Serve warm or chilled.  

Feel free to toss in some diced chicken, or white beans for added protein! 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Taco Salad

For a quick and delicious dinner, go for a taco salad. 

Made entirely on the stove top, this is a great meal during the peak of summer.  Even the boys will enjoy this one!

Taco Salad – Mom

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
• Taco seasoning {make your own}
• 1 C tomato sauce
• Leafy Green Lettuce (of your choosing, add spinach)
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper (or other colors that you like), chopped
• 1 large tomato, sliced and diced
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 medium avocado, sliced (if desired)
• White or whole grain tortilla chips, crushed
• Catalina dressing {make your own}
• Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Begin by browning the ground beef or turkey; drain excess grease. 

Add the taco seasoning and the 1 C tomato sauce and heat until warmed. 

Meanwhile, prepare the salad bed by placing salad greens in 4-6 salad bowls. 

Add shredded carrots, diced yellow bell peppers, diced tomatoes, and avocado.  Like olives or black beans?  Add these to your salad too! 

Crush a handful of tortilla chips over the salad.  Then, spoon on 1-2 tablespoons of taco meat. 

Add shredded cheddar  cheese and top with salad dressing. 

Enjoy! 

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday 2

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Spaghetti Salad with Tofu, Chickpeas and Lemony Coriander dressing

The title of the recipe might look quite long but that explains everything there in the recipe.  This is a very simple recipe which can be made under 10 minutes and it's nutritious too.  As we know that tofu and chickpeas are very good source of protein, this is a good alternative for vegetarians.  In a way, it's better than meat.
   Regular intake of tofu lowers your bad cholesterol, it's also rich in calcium, so this would be a better choice for those who suffer from lactose allergy. There are numerous way to use this tofu, in soup,salad, smoothies, cakes, sandwich, gravies etc.... You can search online for tofu recipes and use it the way you desire.

Coming to chickpeas, which is again a rich source of protein, lowers your blood sugar level too.  This is also rich in dietary fibre, which helps to control your weight gain. This is also a good source of folic acid and iron.  If you would like to read more about tofu and chickpeas click here and here.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Spaghetti- 300 g
Tofu- 100 g ( diced into cubes)
Boiled chickpeas- 100 g
Coriander leaves- 6 stalks ( washed and chopped )
Garlic- 3 pods
Lemon- juice of 1 whole lemon
Olive oil- 2 tbsp
Honey- 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Cook the spaghetti,rinse it off in cold water and keep it separately.  Grind together coriander leaves,garlic, lemon juice, honey, olive oil and salt.  Mix together the spaghetti, tofu and chickpeas in a large bowl.  Add the sauce and toss it up well until the spaghetti, tofu and chickpeas gets coated in the sauce. At the end if you wish you can add some freshly ground black pepper, I prefer to leave it as it is. This can be served as a meal by itself along with some extra salad if required.  You can pack it for lunch.  The good thing is, it taste good even when it's cold and you can make this well ahead of time and relax yourselves.

Note:
Along with coriander leaves, you can also mint or any other herbs of your choice.  If you are not a big fan of tofu and you don't want to use them as cubes,  crumble the tofu and use it in the recipe which taste even more better.

Linking this recipe with Summer spirit, Love Lock series- Legumes started by Vidhya, Beat the Heat, Say Cheese, Bon Vivant- Savoury, Dish it Out, Cooking Concepts- Vegan Diet, Healthy Morsels- Pregnancy, Summer Splash event started by Kalyani

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Simple side salad

This is a very simple, easy to make and normal salad which almost everybody will make, we use to have this everyday with roti's and curries.

Ingredients:
Lettuce-1 cup chopped
Carrot-1 medium sized grated
Tomato-1 chopped
Cucumber-1/2  a medium sized cucumber sliced
You can also add other vegetables like canned sweet corn, raddish, bean sprouts, canned chickpeas or even feta cheese
For the dressing:
Olive oil-2 tsp
Dried mint-1/2 tsp
Garlic-1 clove grated
Honey-1 tsp
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
Mix all the dressing ingredients together, beat well with a fork. Mix all the vegetables in a large bowl, just before serving, add the dressing and toss it up well. Goes well with bread and curries.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Russian Salad

Ingredients:
Boiled and finely chopped carrots-1 cup
Boiled and finely chopped potatoes-1 cup
Boiled Peas-3/4 cup
Spring onion-2
Pickled chillies-3
Mayonaise-1 tbsp
Olive oil-1/2 tbsp
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
Chop the spring onion and pickled chillies.Mix together olive oil,lemon juice,mayonaise,salt and pepper. Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl, pour the dressing on top of it and toss it well to get coated.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Pasta Salad

One good thing about pasta salad it tastes good even when it is cold,it's really good for packed lunches and a very light meal.This can be served as starter with bread.
Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked Pasta(any shape)
Olive Oil-1 tbsp
Mayonaise-1/2 tbsp
Red pepper-1/2( finely sliced)
Green Pepper -1/2 (finely sliced)
Yellow pepper-1/2(finely sliced)
Canned sweet corn-2 tbsp
Black Olives-1 tbsp
Ground Black Pepper-1 tsp
Mixed Italian Herbs-1 tsp( Mixed Italian Herbs is a mixture of dried herbs like garlic,basil,red pepper,oregano)
Hot water-1 tbsp
Salt as required
Method
Add the mixed herbs to the hot water and salt and leave it for 5 minutes. Now add oil,mayonaise and black pepper mix it well.Mix the cooked pasta,the herb mixture and the remaining ingredients together,toss it up well so that the pasta gets coated well.Serve it with nice warm garlic bread.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad