Quinoa Pasta & Vegetable Casserole

Pasta made from quinoa flour. Isn't that great?! My husband and I first tasted quinoa pasta in Sedona last summer and couldn't believe that we were having a healthier version of pasta. It was that good. Ever since, I have been combing the aisles at my grocery store hoping to find some! But until last month, there was no trace. Maybe one day I will get a pasta maker just to make some quinoa pasta! I think it's a great alternative to having just cooked quinoa. Variety is the spice of life and everything...

If you can't find quinoa pasta, you can also use quinoa. I have tried a similar casserole before with quinoa and it turned out well.

Spinach & Basil Pesto

Pesto is a refreshing summer specialty at our home. We pluck fresh basil leaves to make caprese salad and sandwich for a quick meal or snack. And there's pesto in all its glory to season pasta. I hardly use basil leaves alone to make pesto, because I feel guilty to uproot an entire plant's worth of leaves to make about 3/4 -1  cup of pesto, especially because I am stingy with the amounts of olive oil and parmesan I add. So, I usually include avocados and spinach to make pesto that's a little more nutritious, and also a little bulkier in volume.

My dad was quite curious about basil leaves and pesto. So, I knew I had to make some pesto soon. After a series of successful culinary experiments with them, I knew pesto would be a piece of cake - literally :). Needless to say, both of them liked the pesto. My mom thought it tasted similar to betel leaves and oregano leaves crushed together with garlic... Hmmm, not sure if that's saying something else about my pesto! But, this is a simple recipe that works for me!

So, here's how I make my spinach & basil pesto. In the series of simple cooking staples that I have been posting, I thought pesto would feature well.

Pineapple Strawberry and Mint Granita & Popsicle

Granita is flavored ice crystals or ice chips. At least, that's how I have always understood it. It has been quite popular the last few years as a palate cleanser and a light, refreshing dessert following a heavy meal. Since I am not a fan of ice-based desserts, I never really caught on to it. This summer, as I was filling up some popsicle molds, I thought why not just freeze some in a tray and scrape it up to make granita? If the family liked it, then why not? Popsicles are anyway such permanent fixtures in our freezer that I thought my husband wouldn't complain of a little variety.

When I was scraping the granita, both my mom and husband were excited because it reminded them of the shaved ice that they used to get in front of their school, which of course, they were not allowed to eat! So, they both preferred the granita version more than the popsicle. The scraping is a bit more work, but if the frozen mixture sits out for 5 minutes, it is easier to scrape (an obvious statement)

Manga Inji Thokku / White Turmeric Thokku

White Turmeric is colloquially called Mango Ginger (Manga Inji, in tamil) because it smells like raw mango! It is sometimes slightly sour, but not much. Does it taste like ginger? No, it just looks a little like ginger root. White turmeric is often peeled, diced and mixed with diced raw mango, and seasoned with oil, mustard seeds, green chillies and salt. It makes a simple savory pickle for yogurt rice. It is also made into a full-blown pickle with red chillies and other pickling spices.

Manga Inji

Thokku is a class of pickles in which the pickled vegetable/fruit/root is grated or ground, and then spiced with red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, sesame oil, etc.

My mom found white turmeric at our Indian store recently and was quite excited. Although she felt the roots were thinner than those in India and tasted a little bitter, she was eager to make some thokku with it.

So, here's the general procedure that's easy and straightforward.

Godhuma Rava Upma / Cracked Wheat Upma

Cracked wheat is called Godhuma Rava. Since cracked wheat cooks easily, it is usually resorted for an easy dinner with simple and mild spices and grams. If vegetables are added, it is all the more nutritious, and results in an easy one-pot meal. 

I never liked cracked wheat when I was growing up. However, with time constraints and long days, anything that can be made within half an hour is an appealing choice for dinner or lunch!