Veggie Pasta

I found this recipe in my attempt to pack a smart lunch box for my daughter. She asked me to make 'pasta'. The first thing that crossed my mind was Pasta with Marinara sauce and Macaroni & Cheese. This time I wanted to make something different with a healthy choice of veggies and gave a shot at making this delicious pasta.

Ingredients
Pasta of your choice - 1 1/2 cups
( I used Barilla's Penne Pasta)
Chopped Onion - 3/4 cup
Tomato diced - 1 cup
Mushrooms sliced - 1/2 cup
Spinach chopped - 1 cup
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
All purpose flour - 2 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Grated cheese - 3 tbsp
Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Dried Parsley - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation
1. Cook pasta by adding 3 cups of water. The pasta should boil in 8 - 12 min on high flame. Add some salt while boiling. Drain and keep aside
2. Melt butter in a pan and add onions to it. Saute for few minutes and stir in garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach and salt and saute again.
3. Mix flour and fry for sometime. Add milk and pepper powder and allow it to boil till it reaches a thick consistency.
4. Throw in pasta, cheese and herbs - oregano and parsley, simmer for few more minutes and remove.

Sajjappalu (Stuffed sweet poori)

Ingredients
For dough:
Maida - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
1 tsp ghee
A pinch of salt
Water for making dough

Take a bowl, mix all above ingredients to make a soft dough and leave for 1/2 hr.

For sweet filling:
Sooji/Bombay Rava - 1cup
Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method
1. Heat ghee in a pan and fry sooji till it becomes golden brown.
2. Add sugar and water and mix well. Keep stirring and add cardamom powder as the mix thickens into halwa
3. Remove from heat and let it cool. Make small lemon size balls and keep aside
4. Take the dough. Make small balls and press into small puri. Place halwa ball in the middle of this puri and cover on all sides. Roll it back into small puris.
5. Deep fry the puris in oil. If you are watching your oil intake fry them on tava with 1 tsp ghee on both sides.

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer features the wholesome flavor of cooked spinach (palak) with fresh Indian cottage cheese (paneer). I inherited the recipe from my mom. Here is how we make it.


















Ingredients
Spinach (fresh or frozen) - 2 bunches
Green chillies - 3
Paneer - 1 1/2 cup
Chole masala - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Whipped cream - 2 tsp
Salt

Preparation
1. Wash spinach with water thoroughly and place in a vessel. Cut paneer into cubes and keep aside.
2. Add whole green chillies and 1/2 tsp salt to the spinach and boil on slow-medium flame with lid on. For fresh spinach no need to add water. Any extra water will dilute the consistency of palak in the curry.
3. Let it boil for 10 - 15 min, turn off stove and cool the boiled mixture for a few minutes
4. Grind the mixture to a pulp.
5. Heat a pan, add 2 tbsp oil and add paneer cubes. Fry until they turn slightly brown. Remove them into a plate.
6. In the leftover oil fry cumin seeds and ginger-garlic paste. Stir and add chole masala and turmeric and fry for few seconds.
7. Add the spinach pulp and cook for few min until the gravy starts boiling. To this add coriander and cumin powders and chilli powder. Check for salt.
8. Add the previously fried paneer cubes and mix to coat the pieces.
9. For creamy consistency you can add some whipped cream as you turn off the flame.
10. Garnish with butter and serve hot with chapatis.