Broccoli and parsley tomato broth

     I have read about the benefits of parsley and decided to make it a habit at my home.Its great for removing toxins from the body and cleans the kidneys too.Good for gall bladder and kidney stones,arthritis,weight loss.....list is endless.And so I make a light broth each night before dinner and it tastes great and serves as a great appetizer.I use a base and then I add vegetables of choice like broccoli,mushroom,cauliflower or even just bell peppers.Try this lovely soup.
Serves :4
Ingredients
Chopped tomatoes                    2 nos
chopped parsley                        1/2 cup
chopped garlic                          3-4 cloves
Chopped broccoli                     1 cup
Olive oil                                   1 tsp
Lime juice                                 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a pan heat 1 tsp olive oil.Add garlic and saute for 2 mins.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 1 min.
Add 4 cups of water and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Boil for 10 mins. Add broccoli and boil for 3-4 mins.They should be crunchy.
Add lime juice and serve hot .

Vegetable strata

        I had never heard of a strata and when I came across it, the very next thing I was doing is cooking it up with the hard bio multigrain bread that lay in my bread basket.Looked up at all the things that lay in my kitchen.Then I had to try this without eggs as husband does not eat them.Strata is an Italian delicacy and is eaten mainly as a breakfast dish.It has bread, vegetables, meat,milk, eggs and cheese.The best part of the dish is that it is prepared at night and baked next day.I tried my own mixture and I did have good results. Now I have a great recipe in which I can old bread or breads I do not like  :) And my family gets all the nutrition they deserve in a one pot baked dish.

Serves- 4 people
Ingredients
Bread chopped                           6-8 slices
Broccoli florets                          300 gms
Bell peppers chopped                1 no
chopped tomatoes                      2 nos
sliced mushrooms                      100 gms
Chopped onions                        1 no
Chopped garlic                          1 tbsp
Cream spinach                           400 gms
(or Spinach crushed+cream)
Milk                                          1 cup
Italian seasonings                      1 tsp
Chilli flakes                               1 tsp
Olive oil                                    2 tbsp
Cornflour/flour                         1 tbsp
Cheese grated                           200 gms
Salt to taste

                             
Method
Grease a 12"x10" pan with butter.
Put the chopped bread pieces on it.
Heat oil, add the garlic, saute and add the chilli flakes and onions and saute.
Put in the vegetables and Italian seasoning.
Put these on the bread and spread well.
Mix milk ,cream spinach ,cornflour/flour and 50 gms cheese well.Pour it on to the dish.
Cover and keep in the refrigerator overnight.
Next morning, cover with more cheese and bake in a pre heated oven at 200 deg for 30-40 mins till the cheese has turned golden brown and the dish looks cooked.
Cool for 10 mins.Cut into 4 big pieces and serve immediately.
Enjoy hot and cheesy vegetable starta.

Broccoli and cheese rice casserole

     I had been thinking of making a good one pot rice dish which had strong flavors. After a lot of lazing around,today I decided to make one with 2 broccolis staring at my face.My son'd birthday gave me one good incentive to be innovative and make a dish JUST for him. He loved it and I has thrilled. So here I share it on my blog.
Ingredients
Boiled rice                                     2 cups
Broccoli cut into chunks                1 no
Sliced onions                                1 no
Chopped garlic                             2 tbsp
crushed red chillies                       1/2 tsp
Chopped olives                            1/2 bowl
Prepared white sauce                    400 ml
Italian herbs                                  1 tsp
Pepper powder                             1/4 tsp
olive oil                                        1 tbsp
Grated cheese                              100 gms
salt to taste                          
Method
Heat oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and saute.
Add the onions and saute further till translucent.Put in the crushed chillies.
Put in the broccoli and salt and cook for 3-4 mins.Leave them crunchy.
Add the spices and pepper powder.
Put in the white sauce and mix well.
Put in the rice now.Make sure the rice is not overcooked, should be a bit underdone.
Mix well and spread in a buttered dish.
Cover it all with generous helping of grated cheese.
Bake in a hot oven at 200 deg till the cheese turns golden.Serve hot with a good summer salad.

Spinach rigatoni with roasted garlic and chilli flakes

   This morning when I looked out of the window, I was gald to see that it wasn't snowing for a change.2 days of heavy snow can get to you after a while.The sun is out and the snow shining like polished diamonds, uplifted my dull mood and decided to get a south Indian meal for dinner and Italian meal for lunch.So out came my new food processor to test its ability to make the perfect Idli batter.It has done its job well I think, would see it at night.For lunch, I decided to play with spaghetti but it got bugs :(  , so out came rigatoni pasta, these are ridged, tube shaped pasta with straight cut ends.As my husband is vegan, it gets very difficult to put a more authentic vegetarian meal.I call his meal a veg vegetarian meal :)!!Got some ingredients in the cabinets and tried out this baked pasta which had my family wiping away their plates.The heavenly flavors and aroma of roasting garlic and chilli flakes were out of the world!Hmmm, try this.

Ingredients
Rigatoni pasta              400 gms
broccoli sliced              1 cup
sliced red bell peppers   1/2 no
quartered shallots          1/2 cup
spinach with cream         200 gms
chopped garlic               1 1/2 tbsp
pasta sauce                  400 gms
butter                            1 tsp
olive oil                         2-3 tbsp
chilli flakes                    1 tsp
Italian herbs for pasta     1 tsp
salt to taste
cheese                          100 gms
Method
Boil pasta with salt till just done.Do not overcook as we need to bake them too.Drain and wash.Put into a baking dish.Add the spinach with cream (If not available, cook spinach,blend slightly, do not puree, add the cream and salt)Mix well. Heat olive oil, add the chilli flakes.Add the chopped garlic and saute so that that heavenly aroma takes over the kitchen!!Yum!!Add the Italian herbs,make sure it does not burn, add the shallots, saute for a minute.Add the broccoli and peppers and saute.Add salt and let them turn to cook slightly.The vegetables should remain crisp.Add these to the pasta.Mix well.Top these with the pasta sauce and then with cheese.Bake this in a preheated oven at 200 deg for 20 mins or till the cheese turns brown.Enjoy this heavenly pasta which has wonderful flavors of garlic and chilli flakes.

Warm mixed vegetable salad

     Yesterday was really in no mood to cook after a whole evening of shopping, but the look of fresh broccoli always inspires me to do something.I ended up with a nice warm salad of all that was there in the fridge and to fill up the gaps of "just salad" ,served the family with penne with a new pesto that I picked up from the supermarket.The family happily ate up and I was glad  that I was able to feed them all the vegetables.Added the protein in the form of tofu too.Here is a quick fix salad.
Ingredients

broccoli florets               500gms
tofu                                50gms
Red bell peppers diced   1 no
penne pasta boiled          1 cup
Sliced onions                  1 no
Garlic chopped           1 Tbsp
Gherkins chopped       2 Tbsp
Olives halved               2 tbsp
pepper powder            1/2 tsp
salt to taste
crushed red chillies       1/2 tsp
oregano                        1/2 tsp
lime juice                       1 tsp
Olive oil                         1 tbsp
Method
Heat oil and add the garlic.Brown them taking care not to burn.add crushed chillies and onions. Saute till translucent.Add the broccoli,tofu cut into 1" pieces,diced bell peppers and cook on high heat so that they start to turn bright green.Add the herbs, pasta and other ingredients and some fluid from the olive bottle.Stir fry at high heat making sure that the broccoli retains its crispness and serve hot with garlic bread and a nice warm soup.

Vegetable Lasagna

My 1st memories of a good veg lasagna was way back in 1993 when I was just married and went to Germany where my husband was working.During his bachelor days, one of the fastest ways out of the kitchen apart from frozen pizza was a lasagna .I tried the veg version and was hooked.A German friend tried to replicate it when she called us for dinner and failed miserably.I don't give up so easily and so started my lasagna journey.Those days the sheets were not available and I rolled out maida sheets and made it.It tasted great but it took too much time.Now with things so easily available, its very regular on the dinner table.I use the ready made sauces here as its quick but I would be giving the recipes of the sauces to make at home.

Vegetarian Lasagna
Lasagna sheets                    about 15( samosa pattis too do the job)
broccolli                                500gms
red bell peppers                   1 no
tofu                                      200 gms
Zucchini                               1 no
onions                                   2 nos
garlic chopped                      1 tbsp
red chilli flakes                      1 tsp
oregano                              1 tsp
pepper powder                  1/2 tsp
salt to taste
frozen spinach with cream     200 gms
tomato pasta sauce                500 ml
white sauce                            250 ml
grated pizza cheese                200 gms
olive oil                                  2 tbsp
For tomato sauce
peeled and chopped tomatoes from  1kg
chopped onion                          1 no
chopped garlic                           1 tbsp
mixed herbs                                1 tsp
salt to taste
pepper powder                           1/2 tsp
olive oil                                       1 tbsp
sugar                                          1/2 tsp
White sauce
refined flour                              1 tbsp
butter                                        1 tbsp
milk                                          1 cup
bay leaf                                    1 no
salt and pepper to taste
clove                                        2 nos

Method
Soak the sheets in hot salted water.Add some olive oil in it and keep till they are soft.drain and keep aside.
In a pan add flour,cloves, bay leaf and butter.Saute till golden. On slow heat ,slowly add milk and keep whisking to avoid forming lumps.Add about 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper.Keep cooking till the sauce is thick and pouring consistency.Keep to cool
In another pan, heat oil and add chopped garlic, saute well and add onions.Cook till translucent.Add tomatoes and cook well.Add the rest of the ingredients and cook till the sauce is thick.
For preparing the filling,Dice all the vegetables and tofu. Heat oil and add garlic, saute, add chopped onions and saute.Add all the vegetables and cook for 5 mins.Add the seasonings, chilli flakes and oregano.Cover to cook for about 3 mins.The vegetables should be crunchy and bright green.Add the tomato sauce and spinach with cream(can use boiled and crushed spinach and 50 ml cream if frozen not available) and mix well. Now the dish has to be compiled together.
In a baking -12"x10" big dish apply a little butter at the bottom. Layer it with about 5 sheets of pasta sheets.Pour half the vegetables on it and put another layer of pasta sheets.Pour half the white sauce on it and spread well.Sprinkle half the cheese on it.pour the rest of the vegetables,pasta and then the white sauce.Top with the rest of the cheese.Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg.Put the dish in the middle rack and bake for 10 mins.Now reduce the temperature to 180 deg and bake for further 20-25 mins.The top should be golden brown, if the heat is too much reduce the temperature and if the top is browning too quickly, cover with a foil and bake till done.A very juicy, healthy and delicious dish is ready to eat.