Tons of Veggies Pasta

Finally after a long time I'm back!..with the pregnancy and the moving to Seattle, things have been really busy...I never got time to post anything..I always feel cooking is just a small part...writing up and posting the recipe is most of the part.. :)
Anyways, here's a simple pasta recipe I put together with a lot of veggies and mascarpone cheese..Its rich and yummy!

Ingredients:
Wheat penne pasta - 1/2 lb
Onion, diced - 1 medium
Zucchini, cut into thin small pieces - 2
Squash, cut into thin small pieces - 2
Green Peas & carrots, diced - 1/2 cup
Green Pepper, diced - 1/2 no
Garlic, crushed - 2 medium cloves
Mascarpone Cheese - 4oz
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Parsley, chopped - 1-2 Tbsp
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
Chives (Fresh/dried) - 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Method:

1. Cook pasta in enough boiling water and salt for about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onions and sauté until soft. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute. Now, add all the remaining veggies and sauté until cooked and soft. 
3. Add all the seasonings: salt, pepper, lemon juice, chives and italian seasoning. 
4. Now add the mascarpone, parmesan cheeses and parsley and mix. 
5. Toss the pasta and cook for a minute until everything gets coated evenly. 

Asparagus Pasta

Asparagus is a healthy vegetable that I am slowly trying to incorporate into my cooking these days. I've always loved it as an accompaniment with fish or chicken at restaurants and always look for ways to include veggies in my daughter's pasta..even though she filters them out most of the times :)

Ingredients:

Penne Pasta - 8oz

Asparagus - 10 nos

Red Onions/shallots, diced - 1/2 medium

Garlic, finely chopped - 5 cloves

Broccoli, frozen - 1/2 cup

Green Peas, frozen - 1/2 cup

Cherry tomatoes - 1/2 cup

Chicken/Vegetable broth - 3/4 cup

Parmesan, shredded - 1/4 cup

Mozzarella, shredded - 1/4 cup

Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp

Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Crushed red pepper - 1 tsp

Olive Oil - 2 Tbsp

Method:

1. Cook pasta in enough boiling water for about 8-10 minutes until it's cooked al dente.
2. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces. tomatoes in half, and broccoli into florets if you are using an entire bunch.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan and add onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn pink. 
4. Add asparagus, broccoli, salt and pepper and saute until they are cooked through.
5. Add the peas, tomatoes, chicken broth, lemon juice. Add the drained pasta.
6. Mix in the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and crushed pepper and adjust salt to taste and cook for a few minutes until the cheeses melt and forms a guey sauce.

Cooking pasta al dente (means "to the bite") will help the pasta absorb all the sauces and the flavor better while cooking in it for a few minutes. I did not have cherry tomatoes so I used 1 roma tomato instead. If you dont have the specific cheeses try with ones you have..If you want the pasta to have more sauce, you can add a little bit of milk or cream. Also, I roasted the leftover asparagus in the same pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper for a nice side vegetable :)

Mini Breakfast Ramekins

Eggs and mexican on a weekend morning goes great together and here's my simple and tasty mexican breakfast ramekins with the stuff you probably will find in your pantry already!

Ingredients:

Eggs - 3

Egg whites - 3

Salsa - 1 cup

Milk - 4 Tbsp

deli turkey slices - 4

Cheese, shredded - 1/2 cup (any variety)

Roasted peppers - 1 cup
Roasted chillies/Jalapenos - 1/4 cup (optional)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper, to taste

Servings: 4 (6oz) ramekins

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Take small ramekins, or any size according to your number of servings and spray on some non-stick cooking spray. 
3. Beat together eggs,egg whites, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Evenly distribute the following from bottom to top in layers in each of the ramekins.
• Salsa
• Roasted red peppers
• Roasted chillies/Jalapeños
• Smoked turkey breast deli slice(s)
• Egg mixture
• Cheese
5. Bake in the oven for about 25 mins for 6oz ramekins and more if you're using a larger one until a fork comes out clean and the top browns to golden. Serve hot. 

To my surprise, this was one of my little picky eater's favorite breakfasts :)
And this is a perfect breakfast if you have a some time in your hand since baking takes about 30 mins. But you can get absolutely creative with this dish and add any kind of meat or layering that you like.

Easy chicken dish

Hungry for a mid afternoon snack or have no time for a perfect curry for your chapatis? Here's a curry type dish which is super easy and can be made in a few minutes. All that you need is some frozen chicken and frozen spinach..

Ingredients:
Frozen Chicken strips - 1 cup
Frozen spinach - 1/2 cup
curry powder - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salsa - 1/4 cup
Salt, to taste
Mozzarella cheese, Shredded - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a small pan and add the chicken and spinach and saute until cooked and the spinach is all wilted.
2. Add salsa, chilly powder, curry powder and salt and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the cheese and cook until the cheese melts and makes a gooey gravy like consistency.

Can be served with chapatis, rice or even as filler for your panini..Enjoy!
If you don't have salsa, you can try adding diced tomatoes as well..just let it cook for a few extra minutes. I bought the chicken strips from Costco which is my lifesaver for instant sandwiches, dishes and salads. Try and let me know how you made it..

Grilled vegetable burrito -Desi Style

Hi my first contribution to  the Happiest Kitchen!!

Encouraged by the previous exciting recipes posted here I am planning on posting tonight's dinner.

My attempt was to experiment with vegetables that are too little for elaborate dish and too young to go to crapper. I mean who throws away tomatoes if you don't see white stuff on it really ?;)

So I have green pepper, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos in my burrito tonight.

I marinated them an hour prior with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, crushed mint, barely two drops of lemon concentrate and Spicy tandoori masala powder (usually used for meats ).

I grilled the above after spraying some oil for 30 mins at 350 Degrees.

Wheat rotis from indian store forms the base. I have sprinkled some mozarella (made from 2% milk)on top of this mix of vegetables quick spray of oil and grill it for 15 mins for hot desi style grilled vegetable burrito/wrap!