Chi mangia bene italiano

"Those who eat well, eat Italian." I got that from Italianni's in Trinoma and saved it on my phone a couple of months back.  I finally found the right opportunity to share it with you.

Two night's ago, we had a pre-Christmas dinner with UP and Pep friends.  I prepared pasta arrabiata and meatless "meatballs".

Again, photo is not mine.  You can click on the image to view its source.

Fusilli with Roasted Zucchini and Basil

Part of the pasta series...

sliced zucchini marinated in garlic and olive oil roasted in an oven (toaster) on high for 25 minutes

stir in to your favorite pasta and a handful of chopped fresh basil leaves with a pinch of chili flakes for an extra kick.  Top with parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta with Green Vegetables and Nuts

Spaghetti...

or fusilli?

Ingredients

Broccoli, asparagus, snowpeas, blanched for 1 minute, set aside.

8 cloves garlic chopped thinly

Roasted cashew nuts

Salt, pepper, chili flakes

parmesan cheese

cooked pasta

olive oil

Direction

Saute garlic in olive oil until brown.  Add the blanched veggies, and cashew nuts, then season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes.  Stir in the pasta.  Add more olive oil if desired.  Remove immediately and serve.  Topped with parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Spaghetti with Roasted Vegetables

Mix sliced pumpkin in sliced garlic and olive oil.  Roast in electric oven on high heat for 15 minutes.  Turn the vegetables over and roast for another 10 minutes.

Mix sliced zucchini and eggplant in sliced garlic and olive oil.  Do the same, roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turn over and roast for another 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta as written in the package or until al dente and drain.  This evening I used 1 part whole wheat and 2 parts regular spaghetti.

Dry roast a handful of raw pumpkin seeds on a very hot non-stick pan.  Set aside.

Saute extra garlic in olive oil from the roasted vegetables.  Add the roasted vegetables and season with salt and pepper.  Add a tablespoon or two of basil pesto.  Cook for a minute.  Turn off heat.  Add the cooked spaghetti noodles and toss.

Top with shaved parmesan cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Serve with mixed green salad with simple vinaigrette and your favorite sparkling drink.  Perhaps, a glass of sparkling apple-flavored water?

Don't forget to enjoy it with the company of friends and good conversation.

Bon appetit. 

Spaghetti with Roasted/Grilled Vegetables (Photo)

Forgot to the cashew in the previous post.  Uncle B used roasted pine nuts when he made this for dinner in Marbel last week.  I couldn't find pine nuts in SM Davao's supermarket so I had to improvise and used dry roasted cashew nuts instead.

I'm at the Davao International Airport at the moment waiting to board my flight to Manila.  All of the flights have been delayed since 10am this morning apparently due to an airforce plane which got stuck on the runway.  Silkair's flight from Singapore is delayed as well due to some technical problems in Sg.  At least that's what they announced.

And to my Irish friends out there...

'When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure 'tis like a morn in spring,

With the lilt of Irish laughter

You can hear the angels sing...

When Irish eyes are happy

All the world seems bright and gay,

But when Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure they'll steal your heart away.'

It's from the book that I'm reading now.  Swimming Upstream by Anthony Fingleton.  It's an inspirational memoir of a boy who found the determination to succeed.

Spaghetti with Roasted/Grilled Vegetables

3rd practice of the year. Mind was calmer than yesterday.  Again, all the binds seem more challenging.  I need to go back to the practice of eating moderately.  It's something that is, I believe, alien in most parts of the country.  No wonder most of my high school friends are becoming overweight and obese.  Check my other blog on health and physical activity in the Philippines.

Spaghetti with Roasted/Grilled Vegetables

This is part of our new year's eve menu.  I haven't downloaded the photos yet so I'd share it with you next time.  For now, I want to share this quick and yummy recipe.  I've had the idea from that Aussie coffee shop in Shangri La Mall but never really tried it until last week.  Roasting the vegetables is the only time-consuming part of the preparation but it is what makes this recipe delicious.

Big but thin slices of zucchini, eggplant and squash.  Dab some olive oil into the vegetables and roast until cooked and tender.  The easiest way to do this is to put them on an oven toaster.  Put the toaster on high and roast the veggies for 5-10 minutes.  I pan-grilled mine.  Do this until all the veggies are cooked.  Set aside.

Then heat some olive oil in a pan.  Saute minced garlic into the oil until fragrant then add the roasted vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss over cooked spaghetti and top with some hard cheese like parmigiano.

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Have to pack my bag now.  Ciao.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Pesto

I finally have a spiralizer that works, so I made zucchini pasta.

Made a Pesto sauce with : Cashews - Basil - Cilantro - a bit of Olive Oil and a dash of Celtic Sea Salt.

For garnish just tossed some finely chopped cilantro on it and a squish of lemon.
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A friend I met in Mysore is into raw food diet and she sent me this recipe. I had to google "spiralizer".

It's a must for every raw food kitchen and it's used at raw-food restaurants around the world. This spiralizer (spiral slicer or saladacco) quickly and easily turns almost any firm vegetable (or fruit) into spaghetti-like strands, translucent long ribbons, thin slices, julienne strips, or tiny cubes. This also can be used as a garnishing machine or slicer.

Make the most incredible raw pasta by spiralizing zucchini and other squashes into thin strings -- angel hair pasta! Add a little raw pesto or marinara and you have the perfect meal.

Make delicious raw food snacks by spiralizing apples into thin uniform slices. Place in the dehydrator and you have awesome apple chips for you and your kids. (Ani's Kitchen Store)

I think we have it here in the Philippines but since I don't have my own kitchen yet, investing on kitchen tools at the moment isn't really a good idea. Having one though would surely make preparing healthy meals fun.

Cheers.

Simple Pasta Dish

Saute minced garlic in 1/2 cup olive oil, about 5 big cloves. Add thinly sliced green and red capsicum. Stir in 1 mushroom stock cube. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add a handful of chopped basil leaves and mix well.

Pour the sauce into cooked spaghetti (400 grams uncooked), serve and enjoy.

Top with some basil leaves, crushed red pepper and your favorite cheese. Being "skinny and a little bit short of money" at this time, I used Eden processed cheese. It's cheap and I believe suits the Filipino tongue very well.

After my morning class in Makati yesterday, I decided to go to Marikina and get Indian spices from Assad Indian mini-mart. I got everything that I need so watch out for simple, nutritious and mouth-watering Indian dishes in the next few days.

I still have leftover brown rice in the fridge and I'm thinking of making rice milk for brunch.

Namaste.

Quick and Easy Christmas Dinner

Pesto Penne with Tomatoes, Cucumber and Cheese

Egg with Ranch Dressing Sandwich and Cheese-Tomato-Cucumber-Pesto Sandwich

Cheese-filled Potato Balls

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Cheese-filled Potato Balls

Suman, the Philippine version of Sticky Rice wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Traditionally eaten with latik (sweet coconut cream) and tsokolate (really sinfully thick and sweet hot chocolate).

My version of eating suman... with mixed fruit salad. Had this for breakfast this morning.

I didn't prepare the suman, it was a present from our neighbor. You just have to love Christmas in the Philippines. People sharing food... neighbors singing at the top of their lungs... good thing I was tired enough not to doze off even when the party next door was still full swing at 4 in the morning. Sometimes, a little booze can help tolerate such things. Good thing I know to do vaman, shanka prakshalan, etc. Will just do my detox after the new year celebration.