Vegan Italian Pasta Salad With Basil Dressing#SundayFunday

So flavorful pasta salad with fresh herbs, tomatoes, olives, pickled pepperoncini's, red onion and a basil dressing. It’s perfect for potlucks and picnic's. This Vegan Italian Pasta Salad is quick, easy to put together.

For Pasta Salads, cook the pasta a little longer than the directions given since Al denté is ideal for hot pasta dishes, but for pasta salads it should be a little softer/slightly overcooked pasta. Pasta firms up a lot once it’s cold hence a slightly overcooked pasta works best for salads.

Ingredients 
For The Basil Dressing
¼ Cup Olive Oil 
1 Teaspoon White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Water
½ Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
¼ Teaspoon Sugar
12 -15 Fresh Basil or more to your taste
¼ Teaspoon Dried Basil
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
For The Salad
2 Cups Boiled Pasta
1 Cups Cherry Tomatoes - chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Herbs (I use basil, thyme & oregano)
⅓ Cup Green & Black Olives - chopped
1 Small Red Onion - chopped
1 Tablespoon Pickled Pepperoncini's - chopped

Method

Cook pasta according to package instructions, but add an extra minute to the cooking time. The pasta should be just slightly overcooked .
While the pasta is cooking , let's prepare the dressing.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender. Blend on medium-high speed until the dressing is a creamy light green with plenty of fresh basil flecks are seen throughout.

Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl. Immediately toss the hot pasta with ⅔ of the dressing (enough to liberally coat). Chill.
Once the pasta is cold, mix in dressing mixture, tomatoes, olives, chopped herbs, pepperoncini's, and red onion. Chill. 

Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Labels: Vegan, Italian, Basil, Dressing, Salad, Side Dish, Pasta, Healthy, Sunday Funday

For Pasta Salad and Noodle Salad Event 

Sneha's Recipe: Vegan Italian Pasta Salad With Basil Dressing 

Amy's Cooking Adventures: Caprese Pasta Salad 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Couscous Salad 

Palatable Pastime: Pineapple and Butternut Macaroni Salad 

Karen's Kitchen Stories: Chinese Egg Noodle Salad with Pork 

Mayuri's Jikoni: Tropical Pasta Salad 

Cook with Renu: Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad   

Farfalle Pasta With Pesto Alfredo Sauce#Improv

Can I tell you how I am so happy that my plants are thriving, I have many herbed plants in balcony garden, basil, tomato, oregano, thyme, celery, mint, peppermint, kafir, lemongrass, curry leaves, betel leaf, colocasio / taro, ginger, wild garlic, turmeric, bitter gourd and many others. My baisl plant it thriving , so much that it has started to flower. So I trimmed it and made again this Pesto, all the flowers I have made basil flower oil. I made more than a cup of pesto.

Today I, made this wonderful flourless Farfalle Pasta Alfredo Pesto Sauce, its was so delicious, finger licking.

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 Cups Farfalle Pasta
2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
¾ Cup Milk
¾ Cup Fresh Cream
2 Cubes Cheddar Cheese
¾ Cup Basil Pesto With Almonds & Walnuts
1 Green Chilly Paste
2 Large Tomatoes - seeded and diced

Method
Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.

While the pasta cooks, in a large pan add the butter, cream and milk, green chilly paste and pesto , mix this well. Cook this over medium low heat till it comes to a rolling boil, stirring continuously, now grate one cube of cheddar cheese and add to the mix.   

When it starts to just thicken add the pasta and diced tomatoes, give it a good mix and cook till the pasta is just heated. Remove from heat and serve this hot with grated cheese. This pasta dish is saucy, tasty and super delicious.

Enjoy!!
Labels: Flourless, Pesto Sauce, Basil, Pasta, Pasta & Noodles, Homemade, Cream, Cheddar Cheese, Improv Cooking Challenge, International Cuisine, Vegetarian, Jain food

For Improv Cooking Challenge the theme this month is "Pasta & Greens".  

• Sneha’s Recipe : Farfalle Pasta With Pesto Alfredo Sauce 
• Magical Ingredients : Paneer and Spinach Stuffed Shells With Malai 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Pesto Orzo with Broccoli
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Spinach Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

Baked Feta Pasta (Viral TikTok Recipe)#BakingBloggers

This dish is made pasta with cherry tomatoes, lots of basil and feta cheese , when baked is creamy, delicious. This pasta recipe has taken the culinary world by a storm! It's so easy to put together and is the perfect dish for weekend dinners and the whole thing is done in about 45 minutes with not much of chopping and washing of many dishes!

I wanted to make this recipe for a long time, but, some how because of too many restrictions on timings of stores being kept open, it's not easy to get many ingredients.

Serves 3 as a complete meal
Ingredients 
500 Grams Cherry Tomatoes
1 Small Onion - sliced
3 Big Garlic Cloves - finely chopped

½ Cup Olive Oil
¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Red Chilly Flakes
200 Grams Feta Cheese
225 Grams Dried Pasta - of your choice
A handful of basil leaves- cut into chiffonades

Method

Place cherry tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves in a baking Pyrex dish in a single layer. Drizzle 1/3 cup of olive oil on it.
Season with sea salt, black pepper, chilly flakes, fresh basil chiffonades and Italian seasoning, give it a good mix.

Make some space in the center of the dish, place the block of feta cheese, drizzle the remaining olive oil on it. Cover the dish with a foil and bake in the preheated oven 180°C for 35 minutes, you will see the tomatoes are bursting and bubbling.

While the dish is baking, let's boil the pasta as per the package instructions . Drain, reserve about a ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water, if needed later ( I did not use it).

After 35 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven.
The tomatoes would have burst open and the cheese should be soft and melty. 

Mash the cheese and tomatoes with the help of a fork or spatula, then mix everything together. 

Add the cooked pasta and roughly torn basil leaves.
Toss gently until the pasta is evenly coated with the creamy sauce.

It 's creamy and cheesy comfort food. 
Labels: Baked, Pasta, Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Baking Bloggers, Pasta & Noodles, Main course,Side Dish

#BakingBloggers

Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

• • Baked Gnocchi With Tomatoes and Basil by Magical Ingredients
  • Baked Feta Pasta by Sneha's Recipe
  • Savory Cherry Tomato, Basil, & Feta Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
  • Sourdough Pizza "Baked" on the Grill by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Thai Tomato Basil Baked Chicken by Palatable Pastime
  • Toasted Eggplant Crust Mini Pizzas by Food Lust People Love
  • Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts by Karen's Kitchen Stories

A Spooky Cat Pasta Lentil Soup#SoupSwappers

When Wendy our Host and author of Soup Swapper's group gave us the theme" Spooky Soups and Stews"for this month's event. This was the first recipe that came to my mind. 

Now starts my hunt for a cat shape cookie cutter, couldn't find one. Got after my hubby to make the template.  

When I posted this soup pic on what's app to my sister's , they said will make the soup without the cat, looks so spooky!! Laughed and replied this is for my spooky soup event. My daughter said that cat looks so real and morbid.

But nevertheless, this makes a hearty meal, a satisfying comfort food, that is a sweet, just mildly spiced and packed with proteins.  You can have this as a hearty soupy meal like we did or serve over rice.

We enjoyed this as our lunch or can have it for dinner, it's a meal in itself and is popularly known as Indian style Pasta in a lentils.

Serves 3 as a complete and filling meal
Ingredients
1/8 Cup Tur Dal
1/8 Cup Sabut Urad/Beluga Lentils
1/8 Cup Split Green Moong
1/8 Cup Raw Peanuts
1 Medium Tomato - chopped
2 Tablespoons Oil
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Red Chili powder
1 Teaspoon Heaped Homemade Curry powder
1 Teaspoon Jaggery
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
2 Tablespoons Chopped Onion
1 Teaspoon Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 Teaspoon Ginger Juliennes
1 Teaspoon Lemon juice - optional
For the Cat Pasta

½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ Cup Besan/Chickpea Flour
¼ Teaspoon Salt or to taste
A Pinch Black pepper powder
A Pinch Turmeric powder
A Pinch Asafoetida
¼ Teaspoon Carom seeds - rub them on your palms
¼ Teaspoon Kasuri Methi - rub them on your palms
1 Tablespoon Oil
Water as required to make a soft dough
For Tadka
2 Tablespoons Oil
5 Grains Fenugreek Seeds
½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
½ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
3 Cloves Garlic - minced
1" Pieces Ginger - minced

Method

Wash the lentils well. In a pressure cooker add all the washed lentils and 2 cups water, let it cook on high flame for one whistle, then reduce the flame to low and keep it for 10 minutes. Switch off the flame, let the cooker cool.

When the cooker is cooled, add the washed raw peanuts and again place the cooker on high flame. Take one whistle on high flame. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook for 7 minutes. Switch of the flame, let the cooker cool completely.
As the lentils are cooking let's make our Cat Pasta Dough

Mix all the ingredients and knead into soft dough. 

Cover this dough and let it rest for 20 - 30 minutes.
Coming back to our Lentil Soup

In a pot/kadai that has a broad base, heat oil, add the fenugreek, mustard and cumin seeds when the splutter add the chopped onion, ginger juliennes. Sauté till the onion soften, now add the minced ginger, garlic and sauté for a minute add the curry powder, red chilly, turmeric powder and salt, sauté

add the cooked lentils, add the tomato and water (2 to 2½ cups ) to make a watery consistency ( since the cat pasta will absorb most of the gravy when added ). Bring this to a rolling boil, give it a quick stir, cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes on very low flame, stirring after every 3 -4 minutes. Add the jaggery and taste for salt and seasonings, add accordingly. Cover and let it simmer again.
Back to our Cat Pasta

Roll the dough and cut the cat shape pasta using the above template. 

Make eyes and mouth with sliced olives and keep them aside. I wanted to make the eyes and mouth with black olives but didn't have it.

After 15 minutes of the lentil soup boiling add the cat shaped pasta into the simmering pot, cover and let it cook for 15 minutes or till the cat pasta surfaces. Once cooked the pasta will float to the surface. Garnish it with coriander leaves and lemon juice. 

Serve into large bowls and enjoy!!

What a satisfying meal !!

Labels : Tur Dal, Sabut Urad Dal, Split Green Moong, Homemade Curry Powder, Chickpea Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Soup, Soup Swappers, Indian, Vegan, Main Course, Pasta, Healthy 

Check other recipes of October 2020 Soup Swappers Event 

A Spooky Cat Pasta Lentil Soup by Sneha's Recipe

Anti-Vampire Potion (Garlic & Cheese Soup) by Palatable Pastime

Bat Wing Soup by Making Miracles

Bloody Night Soup (Roasted Beet Soup) by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Garlic Soup with Gruyère Cheese Toast by Karen's Kitchen Stories

Hungarian Pork Ghoul-ash by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pumpkin Ale Soup with Pork Eyeball Meatballs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Vegetarian Rice Roni With Homemade Rice Roni Mix

This Homemade Rice Roni is a blend of rice and pasta which then cooked in butter, chicken/vegetable stock and seasonings until light and fluffy. A quick easy dish that tastes so good. This Homemade Rice-A-Roni has no artificial ingredients and is absolutely delicious. 

I had this rice roni many times when I stayed abroad.  I loved it , but, here it's not available so made my own.  This is a basic mix, you can have many add ons/flavorful spices to it when you are cooking this as a meal.

This Homemade Rice Roni is the perfect accompaniment to make a complete and delicious meal with chicken, fish, steak or shrimp. I also used this to make this  Colombian Arroz Atollado

Ingredients 
200 Grams Spaghetti - broken into pieces
2 Cups Basmati Rice

1 Tablespoon Oil
Method
Wash the rice with a wet cloth and let it dry for some time. In the meantime in a pan heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the spaghetti  for a minute or two only. Cool and mix it with the rice.  

Homemade Rice Roni Mix is ready.  

I made a vegetarian version of this for our lunch.
Vegetarian Rice Roni

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Dried Chives

1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix 

1 Bay Leaf

¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder or to taste

1 Vegetable Stock Cube

1 Scallion/Spring Onion -  chopped 
1 Medium Onion - chopped  
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic 
5 - 6  Broccoli Florets
¼ Cup  Diced Carrots

¼ Cup  French Beans - chopped

½ Cup  Colored Bell Peppers - chopped 

1 Small  Tomatoes - chopped  

1½ Cups  Rice Roni

3½  Cups Water

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Oil

Method

Heat oil and butter in a large pot/pan, fry the onion, till translucent, add all the veggies, chives, seasoning , bay leaf and saute for a minute.  

Add the stock cube, water , give it a light mix and bring this to a rolling boil.  

Now add the rice roni , give it a light stir. Cover, let it be on high flame for a minute then reduce the flame to low and let it cook for 12 -15 minutes giving it a light stir after 5 minutes.  Check for taste and seasoning, add black pepper powder to your taste ( this is optional). 

When liquid has been absorbed, take a test bite to see if rice is cooked through. Add  hot water if necessary and continue cooking if it needs a bit more time.

 Delicious Rice Roni is ready to enjoy. 

Serve this with Egg And Cauliflower Salad. 

Strawberry Lemon Basil Pasta Salad#Improv

Strawberry Lemon Basil Pasta Salad is a healthy and delicious dish that will brighten up any plate. A pasta side dish made with strawberries, lemon and fresh basil , it's perfect for a light and filling  summer meal. A  simple salad wherein the dressing can be made a day ahead and tossed  just before serving.

Ingredients 
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Sendhav Namak / Himalayan Pink Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Red Chilly Flakes
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Cups Campanella Pasta
A Handful of Fresh Baby Basil leaves
2 Cups Sliced Strawberries
1 Lemon - cut into round slices

Method

Boil the pasta in water with a tablespoon of sea salt when the water comes to a boil add the pasta and cook it on high flame till al dente. It took 10 to 12 minutes to cook. Drain and cool it completely. 

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until sugar is dissolved. Add pasta, basil, lemon zest and strawberries, toss to coat.
Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.  

Serve garnished with a lemon slices and enjoy.  

Labels: Pasta, Salads, Strawberry, Healthy, Main course, Improv Cooking Challenge, Vegetarian, Vegan,  Pasta & Noodles

Check out what the other bloggers have made!

Improv Cooking Challenge: June 2020

Ingredients: Strawberries and Basil

• Strawberry Basil Lemonade by Making Miracles
• Grilled Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Strawberry Basil Topping by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Basil Crumb Bars by Veggies First Then Dessert
• Strawberry Lemon Basil Pasta Salad by Sneha's Recipe
• Strawberry Basil Avocado Toast by Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Basil Smoothies by Our Good Life
• Grilled Strawberry & Blue Basil Granita by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Strawberry Basil Bourbon Smash by Cookaholic Wife