Tasty and Healthy Mixed Peppers Curry

What an oxymoron that sounds! Tasty and healthy! Can anything healthy be tasty? I am sure a lot of us think that way....well! here's a surprise.
Research always recommends we eat colorful vegetables and fruits to stay protected from diseases, to stay healthy. My next post is a recipe for a colorful vegetable dish.

Mixed Peppers and vegetable Side Dish (Serves 6)

2 Green peppers
2 Red peppers
2 yellow peppers
2-3 carrots
1 medium red potato
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp oil
2 dried chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt as requires
1/2 to 1 tsp chilli powder
21/2 tsp coriander powder
One handful peanuts , roasted and coarsely powdered.

1. Chop all the vegetables into longish pieces.
2. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and the 2 dried chillies.
3. Next add the chopped vegetables, salt and turmeric and cook till the vegetables are just soft. Be careful not to overcook the vegetables!
4. Add the coriander powder and chilli powder midway, while cooking the vegetables.'
5. Now add the coarsely pounded peanuts. Mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Have this with rotis /chapathis and a cup of curds/yoghurt for a complete meal. Chapathis made with KALA CHANNA ATTA makes this a high protein, high fibre and a low carb meal that is even good as a low fat diet

Pasta Sauce

There is no doubt that a bottle of pasta sauce picked off the shelf is so much more convenient to use. But most of us used to spicy food do find 'something' missing in a regular pasta sauce. I saw my daughter load her pasta with crushed peppers and evolved this pasta sauce..make it bland or spicy, it is worth the effort. Moreover, all those vegetables added make it so much tastier and nutritious!
Bottle it in the very same pasta sauce bottles and you can fool your kids into eating a lot of vegetables.

Anyway here it goes...

1 can Tuttorosa Crushed tomatoes with basil
(If you want to go the healthy way, I recommend no-sodium Eden crushed tomatoes with basil
or for those to whom these are not available, any carton of tomato sauce will do)

Method:
2 green peppers (capsicum) diced
4-5 carrots diced
3 onions diced
2 yellow peppers diced(opt)
Green peas a handful, if liked
Mushrooms, again if liked
any other pasta friendly vegetables!
2 cloves garlic
Fresh or dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Cilantro, a small bunch chopped
chilli powder, as per taste
salt
Crushed black pepper, 1 tsp (reduce if cannot take too much spice)
Olive oil 1 tbsp

whole red chillies 2
2 fresh tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp sugar

• Heat the olive oil and add the whole red chillies and crushed garlic.
• Sauté for a minute till garlic looks roasted
• Next add the onions and all the vegetables and sauté till fairly cooked
• Do not cook to a pasty texture, stop while the vegetables still hold up shape.
• Add the pepper, chilli powder and salt and the tomatoes, cook for a minute or two
• Next add the crushed tomatoes from the can and the sugar
• Bring it up to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes
• Finally, add the basil and oregano.

Your pasta sauce is now ready to use. Chop the vegetables to longish pieces for an added vegetable flavor to the dish.