• 1.5 cups uncooked Pasta - Macaroni or any Small sized Pasta
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper - finely diced
• 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper - finely diced
• 1/2 Green Bell Pepper - finely diced
• 1/2 Orange Bell Pepper - finely diced
• 10-12  Cherry Tomatoes 
• Black Olives  
• Salt to taste

• 10-12 cherry tomatoes - finely chopped
• 1 or 2 medium sized bell pepper - finely chopped
• 5 basil leaves - chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Grated Parmesan - As needed (optional)
• A loaf of french bread - cut into diagonal slices

• In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except french bread, allow the mixture to sit for about 15-20 mins, for the flavours to blend.
• Heat a griddle & toast the bread slices for about a minute on either side till they get nice & crisp. You can also toast them using a convectional grill.
• While the bread is still warm, spread the tomato-bell pepper mixture & top with a tsp of grated parmesan. I didn't use any

The other day, I was all by myself & I made this super easy Pasta Salad for lunch. This one is packed with nutrition & is very filling.

I am quite fond of penne pasta, but you can pretty much use whichever you like. I used wholewheat pasta, so the fibre part is taken care of. Next time, I might use tri-color shell pasta to add more color.

You Will Need:

• 1 1/2 cups Penne Pasta - I used wholewheat pasta
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes - halved
• 1/4 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup broccoli florets
• 1 carrot - julienned
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 cup cheese
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Chopped cilantro - for garnish

How To:

• Cook pasta as per package instructions. Drain & set aside
• Blanch the vegetables till cooked yet firm.
• Heat oilve oil in a pan, roast the blanched vegetables for about 3 minutes. Throw in grated cheese & toss to coat
• Add cooked pasta & mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve warm & Enjoi !!!

Last week was one such day when I was at my laziest best. Having skipped breakfast, I was too hungry to have eaten those bits n bobs. I had some leftover broccoli florets lying in the refrigirator for nearly a week. With some sundried tomatoes & fettuccine pasta, I whipped up this quick meal.

Here's how I made it,

You Will Need:

• Fettuccine Pasta - 300 gms
• 1 cup Broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp - black pepper powder - coarsely ground
• A pinch of turmeric
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Method:

• Cook Pasta in a huge pot of heavily salted water as per package instructions for about 8 minutes or until cooked. Do Not overcook the pasta. Drain & keep aside
• I added a pinch of turmeric to the boiling water for that bright yellow color. I know it sounds crazy to add turmeric in an Italian dish, but well, it did look bright
• Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan & saute broccoli until tender. The florets must retain their cruch.
• Add sundried tomatoes & pasta. Add in lemon juice & black pepper powder & toss well to combine. Adjust salt as per taste
• Garnish with lemon zest & Serve HOT.

Can be served as Pasta Salad too at room temprature.

Enjoi !!

I made these on a whim & it turned out to be great. This time around, I experimented with lemons & I wasn't disappointed. The lemon juice & zest are the highlights add a nice flavor to the dish. The lemony flavor blends well with black pepper & give broccoli a nice spicy & lemony crunch. Sun dried tomatoes add a bit of flavor from their side & binds well with fettucine. Together, it made a great dish.

This did put a satisfying end to my hunger, without much effort. I will be making this again, probably on another lazy day.

NOTE: Since Iam not a big fan of cheese, I didn't add them. You could top it with grated cheese for that creamy texture. But, It tastes great without cheese

This goes to Vaishali's , Its a Vegan World: Italian !!

• 2 cups Penne Rigate
• 1/2 an eggplant - cubed
• 1 green bell pepper - cubed
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
• 1 tsp pine nuts
• 1 tbsp dry basil leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Boil Pasta in heavily salted water as per package instructions.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, Add chopped eggplants, broccoli florets & saute for a while.
• Add chopped bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts & saute over medium flame until the vegetables are well roasted. See to it that the vegetables retain their crunch. Do Not over cook the vegetables.
• Mix in cooked pasta, basil leaves, parmesean cheese & some salt. Mix well & simmer on low heat for about 4 - 5 minutes until the pasta is well coated with vegetables.

Serve HOT with some grated cheese. Enjoi !!!

NOTE:

You could also add some roasted artichoke & olives. I omitted it as I didn't want to mix in too many flavors. I DO NOT recommend adding these. But you can go ahead & add them if you like to.

• 500g spaghetti
• 2 ripe tomatoes/ 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1 carrot - diced
• 100g mushroom - sliced
• 1 small bowl of sliced broccoli
• 2 - 3 tbsp - extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp - grated cheese
• salt as per taste

Method:

• Cook spahetti in a large pot filled with heavily salted water, as per package instructions
• Boil tomatoes in water, Peel off the skin & puree them using a blender
• Heat oil in a wok, Add diced carrots, mushroom & broccoli. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes
• Add pureed tomatoes & cook on low flame, until the vegetables are tender.
• Add cooked spaghetti & salt as per taste
• Mix well to combine, top with grated cheese & serve

Enjoi !!