Mixed Vegetable Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce. Healthy, Yummy, Easy, Nutritious, Fiber, Less Oil, cholesterol, diabetes friendly, Kid friendly

Hey peeps today I made a ultimate healthy breakfast and want to share with you the original recipe and how I tweaked it to be Indianised. I succeeded in making the breakfast wholesome, filling, fat free but at the same time yummy. Believe me it turned out to be one finger licking dish without processed cheese.  To make it kid friendly add grated natural cheese :)

For the Mixed Vegetable Pasta recipe adapted from http://nishamadhulika.com/en/695-pasta-with-mixed-vegetables-recipe.html)

Ingredients for mixed vegetable Pasta:

• Pasta 100 gms (I used 100 gms shell instead of 200 gms for 2 ppl)
• Capsicum - 1 green (u can add whatever pasta suitable veggies are with you no hard and fast rule for this)
• Cauliflower - 50 gm
• beans - 50 gm
• carrots - 50 gm
• mushrooms - 50 gms
• beetroot - 1 small
• tomato - 1 medium
• onion - 1 large 
• extra virgin olive oil -  3 tsp (1stp to boil the pasta and 2 tsp for jeera tadka)
• cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• coriander stalks 
• salt 

Boil the pasta as per manufacturers instructions or follow http://nishamadhulika.com/en/695-pasta-with-mixed-vegetables-recipe.html boiling pasta instructions only.

Then heat a kadai/wok/pan and add one tsp oil, put in cumin seeds, after it splutters add chopped onion and saute.  When the onions are translucent add veggies sauteing gap of two secs each capsicum, mushroom, tomato, carrots, beans, beetroot, cauliflower.  Depending your need for crunchiness saute the veggies, when done add  boiled pasta, salt and chopped coriander stalks switch off and keep it aside. (no ajinomoto, no soy, chilliflakes, oregano, Italian herbs you can add if you want more spicy and Italian :)

For the Pumpkin Sauce I adapted recipe from I adapted from http://avocadopesto.com/2014/09/09/creamy-pumpkin-pasta-sage-gluten-free-vegan/

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pasta:

• Boiled pumpkin puree - 1 cup (pressure cook pumpkin and mash it)
• 1/2 cup milk (i reconstituted smp 1 tbsp)
• garlic cloves - 5  minced
• cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• extra virgin olive oil - 1 tsp
• cumin seed - 1 tsp 
• water as required 
• pepper powder 
• salt 

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, splutter cumin and then add minced garlic and cook till lightly browned and add pumpkin puree, add little water (2 tblsp)  and bring it to boil, simmer down add milk and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper.  Check for consistency, if it is too thick add some water, simmer for some more time and remove from heat. Pumpkin sauce for pasta is ready.

To serve Mixed vegetable pasta with Pumpkin Sauce; take a bowl add some mixed veggie pasta and then ladle some some over it.  You can add cheese for children or tweak according to your taste. 

This recipe is diabetic, cholesterol, cancer, convalescence friendly can be converted to totally vegan recipe if you follow original.

Chayote, Seeme Badane Semolia Fry

INGREDIENTS:

Chayotes, Seeme Badane ( in kannada) - 3

Red chilly( byaadagi)-20 nos.

Raw rice  1/2 cup

Corriander seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Tamarind - peanut size

Asafoetida, Hing a pinch

Salt - to taste

Fine semolina for coating 

Instructions:

1. Cut Chayotes lengthwise and apply salt n turmeric and keep aside. 
2. Grind about   20 red chillies (I have used long badgi variety, you can also use 10 badgi chillies +10 guntur chillies) + 1 tsp of coriander seeds+lil hing+salt+ tamarind + per-soaked for 10 min raw rice.
3. Grind to a smooth paste with very little water.
4. Then coat this paste to the Chayote and roll them in fine Semolina and deep fry. 
5. You can add a spoonful of chickpea flour to the chilli paste in order to bind the masala well....i have not added it.

Smoking Deep Fried Chayotes are ready to eat.

Bibbe Upkari, Tender Cashew Side Dish

INGREDIENTS:

Tender cashew nuts- 1 cup

Tendli or Gherkin - 1/2 cup or 10 nos.
Salt - 1 tsp
sugar - 1 tsp
Coconut grated - 2 tblsp

Tempering :
Coconut oil- 6 -7 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Red chilly - 3

Instructions:

1. Soak the Bibbe (cashewnuts) in water overnight - in a little water.
2. Peel the Bibbe (if it has a skin) and gently halve it in the naturally available parting in the center
3. In  a pan , put water+ bibbo + thendli( thendli should be chopped length wise & cut it into 4 pieces) - cover with a lid and cook for about 8-10 minues or  until cooked.
4. In a seperate small pan - heat oil - put mustard into it- when mustard starts to splutter add curry leaf+ red chillies & fry for a while  - remove this from flame and add this tempering  to the cooked bibbe. Add salt and sugar and check for taste.
5. Then garnish the dish with coconut gratings.

This is a typical Konkani dish. It is also exotic as tender cashewnuts are available in season. Dried cashewnuts too can be used. This dish is used during festivals and important functions. 

Patholi, Steamed Sweet Coconut Dumpling, Kadabu

 (Click to enlarge step-step procedure of Patholi recipe from start to finish. An exotic traditional Konkani recipe)

Ingredients:

Outer Covering:

White rice - 1 cup (soaked for 1 hour)

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup(fresh coconut)

Jaggery- 1 tbsp

Poha (pressed rice) - 3 tbsp  (pre-soaked)

Salt to taste

Turmeric leaves - 20  (washed trimmed at stem and patted dry)

Stuffing/Filling: 

Jaggery grated - 1/2 cup 

Coconut grated - 3/4 cup (fresh coconut)

Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp

Instructions:

For the outer covering: 

The trick of easy flow for patholi covering lies in grinding. Grind the pre-soaked rice along with coconut grating, jaggery (without adding much water). Now add washed poha and grind to get a smooth paste. Add salt.

For the stuffing/filling:

In a bowl mix coconut gratings, jaggery and cardamom powder and keep it aside.

Assembling Patholi:
Take a turmeric leaf, spread a thin layer of the outer covering/rice paste. Spread around 1 tbsp of stuffing/filling lengthwise keeping the edges free covering majority of the leaf. Fold the leaf and keep it aside. (Check the pitctorial above) Similarly prepare other 19 leaves. Place the Patholi's in a shallow bottomed vessel or idli stand and steam for around 15-20 minutes.

Unwrap the Patholis, serve the steamy hot Patholis with clarified butter. Omit this if you want to keep it vegan.