Edamame Pasta in Marinara Sauce

Many of you wrote to me saying that Edamame pasta is tasteless and not very enjoyable to eat. The texture is chewy and hard. I think any pasta other that regular one is hard and slightly chewier because of the ingredient and the fiber content. That is normal. But the key to making the nutritious dish enjoyable is cooking it right and making it fun. I like to make unusual pastas taste good by adding more flavors and spices. Also cooking pasta in a different broth other than water will help it absorb flavors. That is sometimes true for whole wheat pastas too!

This recipe is my attempt to make edamame pasta more delicious. As you all know edamame pasta is made of edamame/Soy bean and is gluten free and protein rich. Protein rich soy beans are my favorite! So after a wonderful workout yesterday, this was a quick protein rich dinner we enjoyed. Instead of boiling noodles and then adding them to the sauce, I thought of cooking noodles with the sauce and letting it absorb all the flavors.

While I made pasta, my husband quickly made some garlic butter for garlic bread. He applied some garlic butter on a slice of whole wheat bread and toasted it in an oven for a delicious side of healthy pasta.

Ingredients (serves 2-3 people)
3 tbsp. olive oil (or regular oil)
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 medium onion chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
1 tsp. Italian herbs
1+1/2 cup water
Handful of pasta

Heat oil in a pan and fry chopped garlic.
Saute onions and bell peppers till they turn soft.
Add tomatoes and cook till they get tender.
Add salt and other spices.
Roughly mash tomatoes to make chunky sauce. Use a hand blender to blend it you like a smooth sauce.
Add 1+1/2 cup water and bring the sauce to boil.
Add pasta and allow pasta to cook and flavors from the sauce to be absorbed my the pasta. This should take 5-6 minutes.
Serve with Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Heat oil in a pan and fry chopped garlic.

Saute onions and bell peppers till they turn soft.

Add tomatoes and cook till they get tender.

Add salt and other spices.

Roughly mash tomatoes to make chunky sauce. Use a hand blender to blend it you like a smooth sauce.

Add 1+1/2 cup water and bring the sauce to boil.

Add pasta and allow pasta to cook and flavors from the sauce to be absorbed my the pasta. This should take 5-6 minutes.

Spicy Edamame Noodles

I have realized eating a well balanced meal and exercising aids in weight loss. Yes, that works for me! Since the time I have added protein to my meals, I am feeling more fresh and energetic. Although I love my carb noodles, they makes me dull, lethargic, lazy, and top it all bloated and increases my weight. Few months back I tried these gluten free edamame noodles at my cousin's place. She mixed this pasta with pesto sauce and it just tasted amazing. After having a large bowl she revealed the secret. Yes, these are totally gluten free, and protein rich. I have used Garbanzo bean pasta and lentil and quinoa pasta before and now there is edamame noodles to enjoy! Happy me!!

With lots of veggies and protein rich noodles this dish was so delicious and healthy :) Believe me I enjoyed it so much and not a single ounce I put on :)

Ingredients: (serves 3-4 people)
1/4 cup each of julienne green beans, carrots, bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, shredded cabbage, sliced onions,
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2-3 tbsp. Schezwan sauce
2-3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce (optional)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper powder (optional)
2 cups of boiled edamame noodles
Garnish with spring greens

• Boil handful of edamame noodles as per the box instructions and keep them aside.
• In a wok heat oil, add onions, ginger, garlic and saute for a minute.
• Add other veggies except cabbage and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. (I do not like mine over cooked and mushy)
• Add vinegar, soy sauce, schezwan sauce, salt, and pepper.
• Add shredded cabbage and boiled edamame noodles.
• Mix well and toss noodles and veggies well on high temperature.
• Garnish with spring greens and serve with schezwan sauce in the side.

 Here is step-step pictorial recipe:

Boil handful of edamame noodles as per the box instructions and keep them aside.

Since it was a big box, I just used noodles that would fit in a cup.

In a wok heat oil, add onions, ginger, garlic and saute for a minute.

Add other veggies except cabbage and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. (I do not like mine over cooked and mushy)

Add vinegar, so sauce, schezwan sauce, salt, and pepper.

Add cabbage and boiled edamame noodles.

Mix well and toss noodles and veggies well on high temperature.

Garnish with spring greens and serve with schezwan sauce in the side.

Yum Yum!!

Baked Schezwan Coins

One of my favorite foods to cook is an appetizer. I love finger foods...they are so easy to make and plate and so much fun to eat. I just don't wait for parties and invitations. I can make them anytime, and sometimes they are a meal by itself!! If you feel your family/kids should eat whole wheat chapati and veggies as they are healthy options, what do you think about this recipe?

After a wonderful week of eating healthy and watchfully and exercising, I wanted to treat myself. The treat was indeed wonderful as it was loaded with veggies, baked, and low on carbs :) Yes, made
these deliciously baked, spicy, veggie coins to satisfy my indochinese urge without compromising my health. When we think on Manchurian balls or veggie coins they are usually deep fried. But I like to bake them. Even for my veggie manchurian recipe for indochinese meals, I bake veggie balls. They taste just as delicious as fried and you don't feel guilty at all. The other advantage is that they can all be cooked at the same time in the oven without standing in front of the stove and frying each batch. So easy that is!

Here is Manchurian Gravy recipe which can be replace with healthy baked balls instead of deep fried ones.

Ingredients (serves 3-4 people)

To make veggie coins:
10-12 green beans
8-10 baby carrots
1/4 medium bell pepper
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 cup roughly chopped cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 to 1 cup whole wheat flour
Oil to grease the baking tray.

For sauce:
2 tbsp. oil
1 cup spring onions
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2-3 tbsp schezwan sauce
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Spring greens to garnish

• In a food processor drop all roughly chopped veggies to finely chop/ mince them. You could use veggies of your choice too.
• Remove in a bowl. Add salt and pepper and let the veggies stand for 10 minutes till they give out all the liquid.
• Add whole wheat flour and baking soda to make a soft dough.
• Make into small balls or discs and line them on a greased baking tray. lightly brush each veggie disc with some oil
• Bake in a 350 F preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour till it gets golden brown in color. Keep it aside.

• In a wok heat oil. Add spring onions, minced ginger and minced garlic.
• Add schezwan sauce and water. Bring to a boil. (to make it sweet and spicy add some tomato ketchup to it.)
• Add cornstarch dissolved in water and let the sauce come to a boil.
• Add baked veggie discs/coins and mix them well.
• Garnish with spring greens and serve!

Step-by-step pictorial recipe:

In a food processor drop all roughly chopped veggies to finely chop/ mince them. You could use veggies of your choice too.

Remove in a bowl. Add salt and pepper and let the veggies stand for 10 minutes till they give out all the liquid.

Add whole wheat flour and baking soda to make a soft dough.

Make into small balls or discs and line them on a greased baking tray. lightly brush each veggie disc with some oil

Bake in a 350 F preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour till it gets golden brown in color.

Delicious!!

Rai Wala Marcha

Have you ever visited chilli pepper fields. I did last week before coming back to the US. Vivekbhai, my cousin's friend is the owner of these huge fields near Vangaon, border of Gujarat and Maharashtra where he produces bell peppers of various color, green chillies of different kind, and other fruits and veggies to export them to various parts of the world. They are all of best quality and taste, and produced in a controlled environment. It was a great experience. I have grown bell peppers and chilli peppers in my backyard, but this was totally different. While we were visiting the fields, I could just think of various recipes I could make with these flavorful peppers. :) We came back home with bag full of goodies! Below are few pictures for you to enjoy. 

Since I was about to leave India and come back home, I could not have brought fresh produce. But I thought of bringing back some pickled green chillies for my husband. Also, I found my Great Grand Mother's traditional pickling jar which I wanted to bring back with me. What a wonderful way of using it...pickling fresh picked peppers in a 100 year old jar! 

Chilli peppers can be pickled using different recipes, but Gujarati families enjoy it the most with crushed mustard. Delicious, tangy, mustardy, green peppers or Rai wala Marcha as we call it are a great accompaniment with any recipe especially parathas and theplas.

Ingredients:

5 cups cut green chillies (semi hot green chillies)

1 cup crushed mustard (for pickling) (rai na kuria)

1/3 cup salt

1 tbsp. turmeric

1 tsp. hing

1+1/2 cup mustard oil (or oil of your choice) 

Juice of 3 lemons

• Slit green chillies and remove the seeds and veins. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
• Whisk salt, mustard, lemon juice, turmeric, hing, and mustard oil together for 7-8 minutes.
• Mix cut green chillies well in the mustard mixture such that the filling goes in the green chillies.
• Fill in the clean jar and let it rest at least for a day to eat.
• Serve with paratha or thepla.

Wash and dry green chillies.

Slit green chillies and remove the seeds and veins. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Whisk salt, mustard, lemon juice, turmeric, hing, and mustard oil together for 7-8 minutes.

Mix cut green chillies well in the mustard mixture such that the filling goes in the green chillies.

Enjoy this delicious Green Chilli Pickle!