Vegetable Perattal

Ingredients:

Carrots 2
Potatoes 2
Tomato 1
Onion 1
Peas ½ cup
Coconut ½ cup, grated
Garlic 2 pods
Poppy seeds ½ tsp
Fennel seeds 1 tsp
Red chilies 5
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Roasted gram 1 tbsp
Red chili powder ½ tsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Grind fennel seeds, poppy seeds, fried gram, red chilies and coconut into a fine paste. Scrape off the skin from the potatoes and carrots. Chop potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and onion into medium size pieces. Boil carrots and potatoes separately. Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves, onion, tomatoes, peas and the boiled potatoes and carrots. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Add the ground paste. Cook until the gravy thickens. Serve hot with rice.

http://www.madrasi.info/recipes.html

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package fusilli (spiral) pasta
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound provolone cheese, cubed
• 1/2 pound salami, cubed
• 1/4 pound sliced pepperoni, cut in half
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 (10 ounce) can black olives, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, combine pasta with tomatoes, cheese, salami, pepperoni, green pepper, olives, and pimentos. Pour in salad dressing, and toss to coat.

http://allrecipes.com

Minestrone Soup

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped yellow squash
• 1 cup green beans, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat macaroni pasta

• In a slow cooker, combine all the ingredients except the pasta. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the pasta and cook on high for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

http://www.vegcooking.com

Pasta-Pepporanata

Red pepper, sliced 1 and 1/2 cup

Green pepper, sliced 1 and 1/2 cup

Yellow pepper, sliced 1 and 1/2 cup

Onion, large, sliced 1 cup

Garlic cloves, minced 8

Olive oil 3 tablespoons (I used only 2)

Water 3 tablespoons

Salt and pepper to taste

Spaghetti, cooked, warm 8 ounces (I used Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti)

Parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup (optional. So I omitted it)

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. I didn’t have a tall saucepan to cook the spaghetti, so I broke it into half. I cooked it for 8 minutes and it had the perfect texture.

2. Saute peppers, onions and garlic in oil in large skillet for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add water; cook covered, over medium-high heat until soft, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Stir in sugar; cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until mixture is very soft and browned, about 20 minutes.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Toss with spaghetti; sprinkle with cheese if desired.

http://www.egglesscooking.com

Savory Mexican Rice

This tasty Mexican rice is perfect for a mid-week fiesta. 2 large onions 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 2 cups long-grain white rice 3 cups puréed tomatoes 2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups boiling water Peel and coarsely chop the onions, mince the garlic, and sauté them both in the olive oil until the onions are a golden color. Add the ginger, coriander, cloves, and pepper, stir, and then add the rice. Continue sautéing the mixture, stirring often, until the rice is coated. Add the puréed tomatoes, salt, and boiling water. Stir the mixture once, then cover and simmer the rice over low heat for another 25 minutes. All the liquid should be absorbed. Makes 8 servings http://www.vegcooking.com