PASTA SALAD - PENNE & MIXED VEG COLD SALAD

Cold salads are very comforting for dinner especially in summer.I generally like to make them often as I can prepare it before and refrigerate it.All I need to do is, serve in a bowl for dinner and pair it with any aerated drink or any fruit shake.The recipe I am posting is very versatile and one can alter the vegetables according to their preferences.

Penne Pasta Salad:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 cup Penne Pasta( you can use Farfelle/Macaroni/Elbow pasta)
1 medium sized Red bell-pepper,seeded and cut into strips
1 medium sized Yellow bell-pepper,seeded and cut into strips
1 medium Green Capsicum,seeded and cut into strips
1 Onion,diced
1 Tomato,seeded and cut into strips
1 cup Broccoli florets
1/3 cup Walnuts,roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped Coriander
5-6 Black pitted Olives,sliced
5-6 Green pitted Olives,sliced
3-4 pickled Gherkins,chopped
2 tsp chopped pickled Jalapenos

for dressing:
3-4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Lemon juice
2 Garlic pods,grated
1/2 tsp Red chili flakes
1/2 tsp Pepper powder(adjust according to your spice level)
Salt to taste
Method:

• Clean,wash and steam broccoli florets.You can stir fry them in a tsp of olive oil with a dash of salt and red chili flakes or just steam them until done.
• Boil pasta in a big pot of water for 8-10 mins till al dente or follow the instructions given behind the pack.Drain and cool it.
• In a big bowl mix all the chopped mix bell peppers, capsicum, onion, tomatoes, olives, gherkins, jalapenos,coriander and steamed broccoli florets.
• In a small bowl whisk together olive oil with lemon juice,salt and pepper powder.Add red chili flakes and grated garlic and mix well.Add this dressing to the pasta salad and add the walnuts and toss it well.
• Keep it refrigerated for 1 hr to blend the flavors well.

You can serve the salad slightly warm or at room temperature.I personally prefer cold pasta salad especially in these summers.
Notes:

1. You can add vegetables of your choice.I mentioned my personal preference with this salad.You can even use vegetables like carrots,baby corn,baby spinach and sauteed mushrooms in the salad.
2. I kept the dressing simple and I love this dressing for most of my salads and it works wonderful.
3. You can replace pasta with cooked couscous,quinoa and follow the same procedure for various delicious salads.
   
4. If you don't like the bell peppers raw you can quickly saute for a minute in a tsp of olive oil.But maintain its crisp for better taste.
5. If you can refrigerate for long the flavors blend wonderful.

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Arugula Salad

Arugula belongs to mustard greens family and is very pungent when compared to normal lettuce.So I have paired it with strawberries,cape gooseberries which are perfectly complemented with each other.All the flavors like the pungency from arugula is well balanced with the sweetness and tartness of strawberries,gooseberries and balsamic-honey vinaigrette.A liberal dose of EVOO and dijon mustard have added their own flavors to the salad.

Ingredients:
2 cups Arugula leaves(roquette lettuce)
6-8 strawberries,sliced
10-12 cape gooseberries,halved
1/2 zucchini,quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber,peeled,quartered and thinly sliced
a handful of black olives,chopped
1/4 cup of toasted walnuts

for dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic pod,grated
2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper
salt to taste

Method:

• Clean the greens,vegetables and fruits and chop them as mentioned or according to your choice.No need to chop the arugula leaves,just trim them,wash and drain them to remove the extra water.
• Arrange the leaves in a wide serving plate and drop in the rest of the sliced vegetables,fruits,nuts and nuts.
  
• In a small bowl,mix all the ingredients required for dressing and whisk in until everything blends well.Chill the dressing until its usage atleast for half an hour.
• During serving pour the dressing over the bed of salad or mix in the dressing with the salad and serve.It tastes best when eaten fresh.
  

Serve it with bread,soup or pasta or as a meal itself.

Note:
You can use colored bell peppers or cherry tomatoes in the salad.

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Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a famous Middle Eastern Salad, which is prepared using bulgur wheat mixed with lots of herbs and seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice to get a very flavorful and aromatic salad.Bulgur wheat is a parboiled wheat which just needs to be soaked in water before making this salad. As bulgur wheat is not easily available in India, I used regular broken wheat which I cooked and cooled before putting it in the salad.This salad is quite filling and can replace any meal of the day.I like my salads crunchy and spicy,so I try adding lots of fresh vegetables, nuts and more pepper to them.As I used cooked broken wheat the salad was bit sticky otherwise the taste was just perfect.This is my last entry for my event,hurry up guys only two more days to send your entries.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Bulgur wheat
1 cup water approx
1 tomato,seeded and chopped
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped colored peppers(optional)
1/4 cup scallions,chopped
1/4 cup peeled and chopped cucumber
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped walnuts or almonds or pine nuts
5-6 olives,sliced

for dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)
1 tsp black pepper powder,freshly crushed
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt to taste
Method:

• Soak bulgur wheat in 1 cup of hot water for 20-30 mins.Squeeze out extra water if anything is left by draining through muslin cloth.
• In a big bowl mix chopped tomatoes,cucumber,peppers,scallions,mint,parsley,nuts and olives and mix well.Add squeezed bulgur wheat and mix well.
• In a small bowl make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients under for dressing section.Adjust the seasonings according to your spice level.
  
• Add the dressing to the salad bowl and mix everything well.Keep it refrigerated until usage.

Serve it cold with pita bread or as a meal itself.

Note: I used medium size broken wheat variety instead of bulgur wheat as it is not easily available in India,so I had to cook it for some time and let the cooked wheat cool before putting it in the salad.

This salad is my last entry which is going to participate in the 'Only' Salads event hosted by me,which is started by Pari of Foodelicious.

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Sprouts Salad-Chaat Style

You might be seeing a lot of salad recipes in my blog these days,the reason is simple that I just want to add more recipes to the event hosting by me this month.This is also a opportunity for me to eat these healthy salads regularly.I had a cup of sprouts left over after making the delicious Misal pav last week and a small pack of bean sprouts that are left over which I got to make Gado Gado salad and they were also getting spoil as I could not make it on time.So I thought of adding those to the regular sprouts and make a salad which I had for my morning breakfast.As I have already posted one version of Moong Sprouts Salad in my blog I thought of making another version of it,chaat style which I love to eat with bombay puri which replaces the spoons wonderfully and are edible too.I used chorafari poori instead of Bombay puri as I had only them at that moment.There is no strict recipe for this as I do this every time according to the availability of ingredients in my pantry.I love to add either grapes or pomegranate kernels to sprouts as they pair up very nicely.

Ingredients:
1 cup mixed sprouts(I used moong,matki and bean sprouts)
1 onion,finely chopped
1 carrot,finely chopped
1 small cucumber,finely chopped
1 tomato,finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped coriander
8-10 green grapes,chopped
1 tbsp Imli chutney
1 tsp Green chutney(optional)
1/2 tsp chat masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder
juice of half lemon
fine sev to garnish
salt to taste
Bombay puri or Chorafari puri as a edible spoon to serve with

Method:

• Take sprouts,chopped vegetables in a big bowl.Add coriander to it and mix well.
• Now add Imli chutney,green chutney,salt,red chili powder,chat masala and lemon juice and mix well.Adjust the seasonings according to your taste.
• Serve it into individuals plates/bowls and garnish with coriander and fine sev.

Serve it immediately otherwise it leaves water after sometimes and make the sev soggy.

Variations:

1. You can add chopped raw mango to it.
2. You can even add two cups of puffed rice to convert it to a sprouts bhel.Adjust the seasonings accordingly.

This salad is going to participate in the 'Only' Salads event hosted by me,which is started by Pari of Foodelicious.

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Red Pumpkin Yogurt Salad

Red pumpkin is one vegetable which I do not cook much as hubby does not like it,he eats it only in sambar and that is the only way I always end up making with it.When I saw this recipe in Sukham Ayu,I liked the simplicity of the salad with a typical south Indian touch and was in mind from such a long time to make it.So,this time when I brought pumpkin I saved a small piece of it to make this salad for my lunch.It is a very simple one and you can make it in a breeze,the coolness from the yogurt,the sweetness from the pumpkin and crunchiness from the onions is well balanced with salt and the heat from green chili.

Ingredients:
1 cup bite size pieces of red pumpkin
1 small red onion,finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 small green chili,finely chopped
2 tbsp yogurt
salt to taste

for tadka:
1 tsp oil/ghee
1/4 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp urad dal
5-6 curry leaves
a pinch of hing

Method:

• Steam the red pumpkin pieces for 4-5 mins until its tender still firm.Cool them to a room temperature.
• in a bowl,mix in the red pumpkin pieces,chopped onions,green chilies,chopped coriander,salt and slightly beaten yogurt and mix well.Keep it refrigerated for an hour.
• Meanwhile heat oil/ghee in a small pan,crackle mustard seeds,urad dal,hing and curry leaves for a minute.
• Mix in the tadka with the salad and serve it cold.

Variations:
Red pumpkin can be replaced by diced cucumber/steamed white pumpkin/Zucchini for a variation.

This salad is going to participate in the 'Only' Salads event hosted by me,which is started by Pari of Foodelicious.

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Steamed Baby Corn-Mango Salad

If you are from Bangalore and is a foodie,you would have definitely visited V.V puram Eat street which has a row of different kind of shops/carts ranging from starters like salad's, nippat masala,fritter's, various types of pakoda's to the main course with lot of varieties of Idly,Dosa,rotti,pav bhaji,chinese etc etc and to the desserts with Fruit salad,gulkand n Ice cream.They even make fresh hollige's and some of our community specials and don't forget to taste hot badam milk.One can get to taste the complete meal choosing according to their taste and appetite.And the most famous V.V Bakery is very near by which is famous for it congress butter bun,biscuits,khara breads,etc etc.One should visit this place only in the evenings and you can easily see the crowd in each and every shop.It would be a complete feast for all food lovers and is a great experience,so guys if you are visiting Bangalore anytime do not miss this place.

American corn salad is quite famous every where,but I got introduced to baby corn salad only at this place.I was surprised to see the list of salad's which they make fresh and serve in a span of five mins and sometimes we don't even get to eat it if it is over crowded.This recipe I got inspired truly from this place and added the ingredients according to our taste buds.When I saw suma's post on Fruit chaat I was tempted more to prepare this immediately.The sour bites of mango pieces with the crunch baby corn and the spicyness from the masala makes the salad taste perfect.Do try out the various variations I have mentioned in the salad as I could not show everything in one post.

Ingredients:
15-18 Baby corn,sliced diagonally
1 cucumber,diced to the size of baby corn pieces
3 tbsp finely chopped raw mango
1 tsp butter

for the dressing:
a handful of mint leaves
a handful of coriander leaves
1 tbsp chopped raw mango
a big green chili
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Method:

• Steam the baby corn pieces for 2-3 mins.They should be crunchy not completely cooked.
  
• Mix in the butter to the baby corn pieces immediately when the baby corn slices r hot and let them coat completely.
• Prepare a coarse paste of mint leaves,coriander leaves,raw mango,green chili,lemon juice and salt in a mixer or a mortar and pestle.
• Mix in the diced cucumber to the buttered baby corn and also add the paste and stir in quickly with a ladle.

Serve it immediately when the baby corn is still warm.

Note:

1. You can even add pepper to it if you want it bit more hot n spicy.It also gives a different flavor.
2. You can replace pine apple instead of mango or you can even use the combination of both.
3. You can just steam the baby corn and stir in butter,salt and pepper immediately when it is hot and serve again immediately.That is also a nice combination.
4. You can even add chat masala,salt and butter to the steamed baby corn.
5. You can replace baby corn with steamed corn or grilled corn.
   

This salad is going to participate in the "Only Salad's" event hosted by me,which is started by Pari of Foodelicious.

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Cous Cous Salad

This is a very easy,healthy and filling salad which can be done in less than 15-20 mins and is a great crowd pleaser.I generally make it for my lunch or dinner so that I can enjoy the good healthy salad with some bread and lemonade which forms a very filling meal.The Preparation of this salad is no different from any other salad which we make regularly just that cous cous is added in a major portion to the regular salad.The choice of vegetables,nuts,beans,spices,herbs are left to our imagination and creativity.This is one combination of salad which I make regularly.

Ingredients:
1 cup Cous Cous
1 1/2 cup hot water approx
1 medium onion,cut into small cubes(you can even add spring onions)
1 medium capsicum,seeded and cut into small cubes(you can add any kind of peppers)
1 big tomato,seeded and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup small cubed cucumber
1/4 cup chopped coriander and some mint
8-10 seedless black/green olives
3-4 pickled gherkins/jalapenos,chopped
2 green chilies,very finely chopped
a handful of roughly chopped walnuts/pine nuts
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)
salt to taste

For Dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin Olive oil(EVOO)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 garlic pods,grated
salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:

• In a large bowl mix cous cous and pour hot boiling water and salt over it and mix well and cover it with a lid and keep it aside for 12-15 mins.Or Cook cous cous according to the package directions.
  
• Now pour a tbsp of EVOO(olive oil) and fluff it up with a fork gently.
• Now mix in all the diced vegetables(tomatoes,onions,cucumber,olives,capsicum), chopped green chillies,coriander and mint,walnuts and mix well with a wooden spatula.
• Take a small bowl and mix olive oil,lemon juice,grated garlic,salt and pepper using a balloon whisk until everything is well mixed.
• Pour the dressing over the cous cous mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate it for half an hour to one hour to allow the flavors to blend in the cous cous.

Garnish with some walnuts and coriander and serve it cold.

Notes and variations to the salad:

• Various vegetables like Sauteed spinach or fresh baby spinach,blanched broccoli,colored bell peppers,grilled zucchini,boiled corn,spring onions and chopped basil can also be added according to your taste.
• You can even add diced feta cheese or paneer to the salad.
  
• You can even add boiled and salted garbanzo beans / Rajma / Lobia beans to the salad if you like.
• Dry fruits like raisins,cranberries,chopped almonds can also be added.Roasted and coarsely ground peanuts can be added for different taste.
  
• For dressing you can add a tsp of balsamic vinegar or regular white vinegar for different flavor.

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Moong Sprouts Salad

Sprouts are very healthy as it contains more nutrients when compared to other foods and is very essential to include them in our daily diet.Many people do not like sprouts because of the raw smell, but when they are mixed with lots of vegetables and fruits and is mixed well with a sweet and spicy dressing the salad will be very tastier and one can hardly make out the rawness of those sprouts.This is one of the regular variety of sprouts salad which I make at home for breakfast.This sprouts salad goes to the event 'Let's Sprout' hosted by priya and also to siri's "My Legumes Love affair(MLLA) # 25" started by Susan.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh moong sprouts( I used 1/2 cup moong and 1/2 cup matki/moth sprouts)
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup sweet pomegranate kernels
1/4 cup finely chopped/grated carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped onions
2 tbsp finely chopped raw mango pieces
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp chopped dried apricots or dates or raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

for the dressing:
3-4 finely chopped/minced green chillies
1/2 tsp grated ginger(optional)
1/4 tsp chat masala
generous drizzle of lemon juice
few drops of honey(optional)
salt to taste


Method:

• Take a wide deep bowl and add the sprouts,carrot,raw mango,tomato,onion,cucumber pieces and mix well.
• Add chopped walnuts,apricots,coriander and mix well.
• For the dressing take a small bowl and squeeze in the juice of one lemon and add salt,3-4 drops of honey,chat masala and mix well.Add grated ginger and minced green chillies and mix well.
• Add the dressing to the sprouts mix and mix well.

Serve it fresh or keep it in refrigerator for 15 mins and serve cold.

Verdict: Clean bowled a bowl of salad within few mins.

Variations:

• You can avoid onions,honey,ginger in the above salad and add grated coconut instead and also add a tadka of mustard and hing to the salad.
• You can even add raw soaked groundnuts,chopped fresh grapes,sliced oranges/mosambi for different flavors.

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Fattoush.....a Lebanese salad

Fattoush is a Lebanese salad where the pita chips are fried or roasted and mixed with other vegetables and is seasoned with sumac(a middle eastern spice) mixed in olive oil with other ingredients.Though in this salad I did not use pita chips and sumac,I used fried bread croutons instead of pita chips as I did not have them in hand when I prepared it.I have adapted this recipe from Sanjeev kapoor's 'Salad's' book where his version is exactly the way I mentioned down where you can convert into complete lebanese salad by just replacing bread croutons with fried pita chips and sumac.It was really colorful, refreshing and hearty salad and goes well in any kind of party or usual dinners.This salad is going to participate in 'Show me your salad' event hosted by Divya of Dil-se.

Ingredients:
1 medium green Capsicum,seeded and cut into 1" cubes
1 medium tomato,seeded and cut into 1" cubes
1 medium cucumber,cut into 1" cubes
1 medium onion,cut into 1" cubes
3 bread slices,cut into 1" cubes
1 small head of iceberg lettuce
5-6 black olives,whole or thinly sliced
5-6 green olives,stoned and sliced
1-2 sprigs fresh parsley
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp vinegar

For Dressing:
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 tbsp Lemon juice
salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried mint or fresh mint

Method:

• Heat olive oil in a wide pan and add bread cubes and saute over medium heat to make golden croutons.
• Prepare dressing by mixing everything mentioned under the ingredients for dressing and keep it aside.
• Soak chopped onions in 1 tsp vinegar for 1/2 hr.
• Tear the iceberg lettuce roughly and place in a large bowl.Add all the vegetables,green and black olives.
• Squeeze the onions soaked in vinegar and add to the bowl of vegetables.
• Tear the parsley roughly and add to the bowl,toss well and mix.
• Just before serving pour the dressing all over,add fried bread croutons and toss again.

Serve immediately.

Variations to Fattoush:

• You can even add red and yellow bell peppers along with green capsicum to the above salad.
• You can replace fried bread croutons with roughly torn and fried pita bread to the salad.
• If you do not have parsley,you can replace parsley by coriander which adds its own unique flavor to the salad.
• As I mentioned the original fattoush uses sumac as a spice,but if you do not have that for different flavors you can even add 1/2 tsp grated garlic or 1 tsp dijon mustard to the dressing which converts the salad very very flavorful.
  

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Tomato-Lettuce Salad

The name says everything about the salad.I generally make salads every alternate day with various ingredients though most of the time i try including sprouts.Earlier my salads were traditional indian type like the way my mom prepares.Since then i started watching Nigella's show i have become a big fan of this English salads.I think there is no necessity for me to introduce her,OMG she is a real Domestic Kitchen Goddess with amazing cooking talent.Even though i m a strict vegetarian i never missed her show(though it contains lots of non-veggie recipes) because i love the innovative way of her cooking and especially i love her cakes,cookies,puddings,trifles(oh my god what not...) which she can prepare in a matter of minutes.I have already scribbled a complete book with the recipes of her's.This is a very simple salad which is mostly done according to her instructions and modified as usual to suit my palate.

Ingredients:
3 nicely diced ripen Tomatoes
4 to 5 big lettuce leaves( i used red and green leaf lettuce),teared into bite size pieces
1 small cucumber diced
1 small red onion finely chopped
8-10 green olives sliced

For the vinaigrette:
3 tbsp Olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp sugar(can be replaced with honey)
1/4 tsp green chili paste coarsely ground(or can replaced by black pepper powder)
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard(add if you like the mustard flavour)
salt(according to taste)

Method:
whisk lemon juice,sugar,salt to form a uniform mixture and whisk in the olive oil,coriander and green chili paste until olive oil is mixed well with the mixture.
Toss all the greens and vegetables chopped with the vinaigrette just before serving.

Serve anytime as a breakfast,salad in lunches or dinner,serve even in pita pockets.

Note:
The usage of vegetables is completely of your choice,So add anything which you like to have.You can use boiled corn,red and yellow bell peppers,green capsicum,blanched broccoli..
The dressing can be used for most of the salads.

The salad is full of red and green ingredients, so i am sending this to FIC: Green and Red event hosted by Neha, originated by Sunshinemom

and also for priya's event AFAM: Olives started by Maheswari of Beyond The Usual.

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Wheat-Jowar Salad

This is the most healthy way of eating the grains like wheat, jowar n Bajra. Last time when my parents visited us, she has brought all these grains, Brown rice and Red rice .I did not understand why she has brought all these grains, but later when she prepared the sprouts out of it and made this salad I was surprised with the outcome taste of the salad and it tastes better than the regular moong sprouts.Even my husband who does not like sprouts also liked the taste of this salad. From then I started preparing this very healthy salad frequently.
I am sending this to JFI-Wheat hosted by Roma of Roma's Space.

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat grains
1 cup Jowar grains
1 cup Bajra grains
1 Big Red onion finely chopped
2 Big ripen Tomatoes finely chopped
4 tbsp Bell peppers(red/yellow) diced small and blanched
2 tbsp finely chopped Corriander
Salt

For the Dressing:

1 lemon squeezed
2 tsp Olive oil
½ tsp green chilli paste
1 garlic clove grated
½ tsp sugar
salt

Method:

Soak the grains for 6 – 8 hrs,drain the water,cover and keep over night until the sprouts are formed(or prepare it in the sprouts maker).Pressure cook it with enough water and salt for 3 whistles and simmer it for 20 mins.As these grains are hard,it will be cooked well if it is cooked for long.Remove and drain water.It is good to eat like this as well.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients required for it.

Mix the cooked sprouts with the chopped bell peppers,onions,tomatoes,coriander and dressing and serve it immediately.

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