Brown Rice Spaghetti with Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken

A couple of stores in the US carry some really interesting things. Among others, I hate why Trader Joe's hasn't yet opened a store around where we live. So, every time I'd go to meet people who lived near one, I'd never miss a chance to hop by and gape at all the line-up of organic, naturally delicious stuff they stock up. I flip like a teenager in love, each and every time I see their packaging and brown bags made using recycled paper.

On one such voracious trip to Trader Joe's I picked up this packet of brown rice spaghetti. Following the package instructions, the first time around I cooked it and tossed it in some regular marinara sauce. No great shakes. Tasted good. But, this spaghetti was so earthy and wholesome I just had  to put it to better use.

On another (not so voracious) mundane grocery shopping day, I picked up some Oscar Mayor  Carving Board Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken. I could possibly eat just this thing all by itself and not want anything else with it. Randomly cut the chicken into chunks, add tomatoes, onions, lettuce, seasoned bread croutons and your favorite dressing and it is a meal in itself! 

And, on another wonderful day when I really was voraciously hungry, I married the most delicious spaghetti with the best deli chicken in town and made this scrumptious lunch.

You need very few ingredients for this one but the outcome will make people thing you slogged for hours in the kitchen. You can even make this with regular pasta and deli chicken (or cooked shredded chicken). Yum is the word. Try it for yourself!

Creamy Mushroom Farfalle with Steamed Veggies

Ever come across a moment in life that changes the way you see a certain thing, person or sometimes even a situation? Among other larger such 'moments-of-change', to me is hidden this one moment that revolutionized the way I saw a little button of a thing - Mushroom. And, such was the theme for last month's Free-Spirit Bloggers. It was chosen by none other than Anupama of Love and Lentils. 

Anupama challenged us to pick out a food/ingredient that we steer clear of. Something we've never liked as a child or even as a grown up and cook with it. Not to forget she asked us to have fun doing so. Here's my story keeping in mind this wonderfully challenging theme.

It would seem normal for a pure vegetarian to state he or she did not like mushrooms because of its taste and texture. But for me, being a meat-eater did nothing towards how I saw mushrooms until very recently. I must thank my very close pal, V, for introducing me to this way of cooking mushrooms. V found this recipe in some cookbook, apparently. Now, there's almost nothing to hate and everything to love when I think of mushrooms.

I love pasta, but I never for once imagined it would gain a new dimension of taste when you throw is a dash (or more, ahem!) of cream and mushrooms. I was so in love with it the day I ate it and now, I make it for lunch at least once a week (cutting back on the cream of course!). I must add my son loves this as much as I do. So, all you moms looking for a fresh new perspective on pasta - This is IT!

What's even more awesome is that you can club this with a side of fresh steamed veggies and voila what do you have? Creamy Mushroom Farfalle with Steamed Veggies!!

Pasta leaves me stumped when it comes to showing off its ability to adapt and absorb any flavour you toss it in. And this recipe is a winner, hands down. In fact, if you love mushrooms, but not pasta you GOTTA TRY THIS. You will come back to me and thank me, telling me this was your 'moment-of-change'.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta enters Jyoti's Pasta Party Event

As I was browsing food blogs, I came across this event which immediately got my attention - Pasta Party! Yumm!



And since I love pasta myself, I thought why not send an entry? I have not posted too many pasta based recipes, but the latest 'Roasted Vegetable Pasta' seemed to fit the bill perfectly. So, Jyoti, this one is for you. I do hope you try it sometime!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

This one is again dedicated to my friend Sathya, who inspired me to make Bread Salad in Mustard Dressing. I've always loved pasta, but I mostly make it using the simple basic method - Cook pasta, stir in sauce and eat. Sometimes, you itch to go beyond the normal ways... especially when you have time and more importantly, are feeling over-the-top indulgent! Sathya, had sent this recipe about three years ago and it sat in my archives until one day I was in a good mood to bake up something savory...and I dug this luscious pasta dish. I told her I was going to make it and that I would call her when I taste it, but she sat waiting for my call while I was busy hogging...Try it and you will know why!

Ingredients
1 Cup - Cooked Pasta (You can choose to cook the pasta to about 75% al dente since it will get cooked fully in the oven)
3/4 Cup - Marinara Sauce (Or any other Tomato based Pasta Sauce of your choice)
1 Cup - Chopped vegetables of your choice (I've used broccoli, carrots, red onions and sun-dried tomatoes)
1 Cup - Shredded cheddar cheese (I suggest you use Mozzarella instead since it pairs much better with all things Italian. I did not have it on hand so I ended up using cheddar)
4 Tsp - Olive Oil
1 Tsp - Chilly powder (Optional. I like a little heat action in almost every thing savory!)
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Preheat oven to 250F. Spray some oil over a oven-safe dish and place the chopped vegetables on it. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil and some salt and place in oven to roast.
- Once the vegetables are roasted (crisp) remove them from the oven and set aside (Let your oven remain on! We've got more to do in there!)
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan
- Add the pasta sauce and allow to heat on a medium flame, stirring occasionally.
- Once sauce is hot, toss in the cooked pasta and stir until all of it is covered in the sauce
- Turn off the flame, and add the roasted vegetables
- Transfer this entire mixture back onto your oven-safe dish and spread it evenly
- Top up with cheese and place dish back into oven
- Allow to bake until the cheese melts and the pasta is fully cooked
- Serve hot

SERVES 2

Broccolli with Pasta in Marinara Sauce

This one is for those times when you are oh-so-hungry but have just about 15 minutes to cook a meal. The pasta fills you up like nothing else and the broccoli and sauce make sure you are getting your veggies too! Yup, that kills two birds in one shot. Go for it.


Ingredients
1 cup Pasta, cooked

Refer How to Cook Pasta under the Basics category for instructions

1 Cup Broccoli florets
2 Cups Roasted bell pepper Marinara sauce (You could use regular if you like lower heat quotients)
Italian Seasoning
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- Firstly boil some water and cook the broccoli florets in it for just about 30 seconds. This will make the florets crisp green. Cooking it any further will make the broccoli too mushy. You could do this step before you cook the pasta since you will have to boil water for that anyway.
- In a saucepan, heat some oil
- Toss in the broccoli florets and stir until crisp.
- Add a dash of salt to flavour the broccoli
- Add the marinara sauce and simmer
- Once the sauce almost comes to a boil, turn off the heat
- Lay pasta on a plate and pour sauce over it
- Garnish with Italian seasoning

SERVES 2

How To Cook Pasta

Ingredients
Pasta (Any variety)
Lots of water
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
Step 1 - In a large vessel, set the water to a boil. Closing the vessel will speed up this process
Step 2 - Once the water reaches a rapid boil, add the salt and give it a stir
Step 3 - Toss in the pasta and allow to cook, stirring occassionally. The amount of time pasta takes to cook depends on the variety of pasta. But in general most pastas take about 10 minutes to cook.
Step 4 - Once done, drain away the water and rinse the pasta with some cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain away the cold water too and you have your cooked pasta ready!!

Noteworthy Notes
Most chefs suggest you cook the pasta until "al dente". It means nothing but - Not too soft, nor too hard. Just cooked enough to bite in with your teeth.
Refer - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/al%20dente

Spicy Pasta with Chicken Sausage on Salad

Ive always loved to try new cuisines. Ever since we got to the US, if there was one thing that fascinated me was the ease with which American food adapted itself to world cuisines. This is my take on Pasta, only, of course altered to taste the Indian palate!


Ingredients

1/2 cup Pasta - Cooked (I've used Whole Wheat Rotini and Gnocchi)

Refer How to Cook Pasta under the Basics category for instructions

2 Chicken sausages, boiled for about 5 minutes
1 tsp - Garlic, grated
1/4th Onion - Finely chopped
4 Cherry Tomatoes - Quartered
1 tbsp Cucumber - Diced
1/2 cup Iceberg Lettuce - Randomly chopped
1 tsp Red Chili powder (You can use paprika/cayenne powder)
Italian Seasoning, to garnish
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste

Method
- Slice the chicken sausages into discs and set aside
- Heat some oil in a saucepan and add the garlic
- Now, add the onions and stir for a minute
- Toss in the sausages and fry again
- Add the chili powder and stir for another minute on a medium flame
- Turn off the flame and add the cooked pasta and stir again
- Drizzle the Italian seasoning and a little salt for flavour

Serving Suggestion
Serve hot on a bed of freshly chopped salad of iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

SERVES 1