Penne with Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce

As most of you in the East Coast know, we have had a particularly challenging week with a massive snow storm and extreme low temperatures. I particularly have found it really painful to go out in this weather. Just thinking about the socks - boots - jeans - jacket routine gives me a headache. So imagine my irritation when I found myself gaping into an abysmally empty refrigerator this weekend.

I decided to take on the challenge and make a meal with whatever could find AND make it interesting. Let's just say - yeah, I did good :-)

First I broiled some orange peppers and let it rest in a ziploc bag for about 30 minutes. While broiling, the pepper will spit and ooze and make some unholy sounds. Fret not, it is supposed to do that! Once you remove the peppers from the ziploc, you should just be able to peel off the charred bits with your fingers. Try and get it as clean as possible. Slightly rinse with water if needed.

Slice the broiled and peeled peppers, add garlic, pesto/ basil leaves, salt and blend with lots of extra virgin olive oil. This makes the sauce for your pasta.

I wanted to add some veggies to my meal so I roasted some cherry tomatoes in the oven for about 40 minutes with olive oil

Cook the pasta as directed on the box. Combine with the roasted bell pepper sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, fried onions and roasted pecans. Top with Feta cheese and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 box penne or rigatoni pasta - cooked to al dente as directed on the box
1.5 or 2 red or orange bell peppers - halved and cored
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 onion - thinly sliced
1/2 cup pecans
1 tsp pesto or 3-4 basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tbsp crumbled feta
salt to taste

This recipe serves 2

1. Broil the peppers as shown in the images above. Make sure all of the outer skin is charred and blackened completely. Place these charred peppers in a ziploc bag and let it rest for about 30 minutes
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil and let it roast in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350F
3. Slightly toast the pecans in a skillet and set aside.
4. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel off the charred skin with your fingers. Make sure you remove all the blackened bits. Rinse under water if needed. Slice into large chunks. 
5. Place the sliced peppers in a food processor with 1 tsp basil pesto, 3 cloves of garlic, salt and evoo. Blend until smooth
6. Heat some oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions until translucent, for about 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, bell pepper sauce, roasted tomatoes and pecans. Mix until all of these are well combined. Top it up with feta cheese and enjoy!

Vegetable Barley Soup

Baby, it's cold outside...!

It's that time of the year again with snow on the ground and chills in our bones.  Quite often, I feel too lazy too bundle up and go out, but let's be honest, I just use that excuse to supplement my perpetual laziness! However, I do spend a lot of that time in the kitchen whipping up something warm and hearty so it all kind of works out!

Soup makes for a very tasty and satisfying meal. I could eat soup seven days a week and not complain. I do have a problem using canned soup since they are usually quite high in sodium. But the good thing is - soups are very easy to make at home. You can get quite creative with them and usually whip up something simple just using whatever is in the pantry. It is a great way to load up on lots of veggies and makes for a very healthy, hearty meal.

I have been looking for something different to cook with and hit upon this goldmine: Barley, which looks suspiciously like Urad Dal!

It takes a little while to cook but becomes soft and chewy. The cooking water retains a lot of the earthy flavour which I usually just use a stock for my soup

This particular soup is very hearty with this beautiful barley and lots of veggies. I used red onions, carrots, peas, corn, jalapenos and tomatoes. Yeah, that many.

You can go ahead and add peppers, zucchini and mushrooms as well if you have them in hand. Put everything together with some spices, boil and done! Easy does it!

Ingredients :
1/4 cup uncooked barley
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 small tomato
a small bunch of cilantro
1 cup mixed vegetables
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala/ curry powder
3 cups water
olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

This recipe serves 1

1. Boil 2 cups of water with some salt. Add barley and cook for about 45 minutes. Stir frequently as barley tends to burn easily. Taste and make sure it is soft and slightly chewy. Drain and set aside to cool. Do not throw the cooking water as you can use it as stock.
2. While the barley is cooking, heat some olive oil in a sauce pan and fry the onions till they are translucent. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a few seconds.
3. Add the tomato and cook till it is mushy and then add the rest of your veggies. Fry this for about a minute. 
4. Add 1 cup of water with salt, chili powder and curry powder. Bring the water to boil and simmer covered until the vegetables are cooked, for about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Once they veggies are done, add in the barley. Add a small amount stock water, adjusted to your preferred consistency. Let this simmer for another 10 minutes for the flavours to combine.
6. Top with a pinch of crushed black pepper and garnish with chopped cilantro.