Penne and Vegetable Saute

Wishing all of you out there a very happy and fulfilling 2008!

After a spate of weddings, house guests and parties, S and I celebrated New Year's eve with a candlelight dinner for two. It was a very enjoyable evening with some plum wine, home made Potato Gnocchi, Vegeratrian Lasagne and Fruit Cake. I will share the recipes with all of you very soon.

We had decided in November that we would change our diet plan in 2008. More vegetables, more fruits, more fibre, less carb, less fat. That roughly translates to soups and salads on most days. Sautees also fit in very nicely with this plan. Since I am not on a zero carb or zero fat plan (and probably will never be - every food group has a place in our system), I will not eliminate either of these completely. And considering how much I love baking, I will continue to bake every once in a while. And I just received my copy of How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson in the mail. So, I cannot allow this investment to go waste.

But keeping in mind the resolution, I share with you a simple recipe that is tasty, filling and nutritious all at once, not to mention colourful!!

1 cup Penne, boiled/cooked

1/4 cup Sweet Corn, blanched

1/4 cup Broccoli florets, blanched

1/4 cup French Beans, cut and blanched

1/4 cup Carrots, sliced and blanched

1/2 cup Mushrooms, chopped

2 tsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Garlic, chopped

1 tsp Chilli Flakes

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the chilli flakes along with the basil and parsley and fry for a minute. Add the mushrooms and after about 2-3 minutes add the remaining vegetables along with pasta. Add the salt and pepper and toss the mixture around in the pan. Enjoy this saute straight from the stove.

This is really as simple as it is beautiful. I will be making this more often when these lovely vegetables are in season here.

Off this goes to Sunita for her monthly event Think Spice - Think Garlic.