The word diet often takes different meanings and perspectives for different individuals! Mark Twain once said, “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you would rather not!”. Well, most will agree to this. Now the word diet is more often used in terms of weight reduction than for eating the right balanced food. I have been in and out of diet programs sometimes to lose weight and sometimes to maintain the lost weight. The most difficult part I thought was consumption of tasteless food as a part of the diet program. Hence I started making tasty stuff for myself so that not only me but even my family started looking forward to the meals. I have started noting down the recipes and they are now a part of my diet diaries.
My diet fundamental is based on a simple assumption that more colourful the food is the better! This means eating lots of fruits and vegetables. Of late, I have got interested in zucchini and had been toying with this idea of creating some interesting dishes out of it. I had this craving for eating pasta the other day and that is when it struck me that I could use zucchini with some more colourful vegetables like bell peppers to make a flourless pasta dish.
Zucchini, also called courgette in some countries, is a summer squash that is either dark green or yellow in colour. It is typically used in savoury dishes and can be eaten raw or cooked. The golden blossoms of zucchini are also edible. Zucchini comes with lot of health benefits. It is low in calories and is a good source of antioxidants, Vitamin C, potassium, manganese and folate. When cut in juliennes, ( for information on various cuts and shapes, please refer to my blog :Knife Skills ) it is perfect to replace spaghetti in a pasta. Also zucchini and the bell peppers are also amongst the few vegetables allowed in the now so popular Keto diet. Here is the recipe for a flourless pasta.
Recipe : Flourless pasta
Ingredients
Pasta sauce 1/2 cup
Basil Pesto 1 tsp
Zucchini green/yellow 2
Onion large 1
Red Bell Peppers 1
Yellow Bell Peppers 1
Green Bell Peppers 1
Garlic cloves, crushed 4-5
Mixed Italian herbs 1 tsp
Chilli flakes 1-2 tsp
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Salt To taste
Olive Oil 1/2 tbsp
Zest of lemon 1/2 tsp
Juice of lemon 1/2 tsp
Garnish
Grated Cottage cheese/Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Method:
- Cut zucchini to juliennes along the length and keep aside. You may use a slicer to achieve uniform thickness.
- Cut all the three bell peppers into thin strips. Cut the onions also into thin strips. Crush garlic cloves.
- Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic, onions and fry till translucent. Add pesto sauce. Add the bell peppers and zucchini. Season with salt, chilli flakes, pepper and mixed herbs. Quick saute the vegetables. Finish with the lemon juice and zest.
- Serve the above in a pasta plate, topped with hot pasta sauce and garnish with grated cottage cheese or parmesan cheese and sprigs of parsley or basil.
