11 November 2013

Healthy Vegetable soup with star pasta and nine beans

 
Vegetable_pasta_soup
 
I gained about two....err almost 5 pounds since last two months Smiley face crying...no I wasn't being a potato couch ,infact I was active or should I say over-active .

Did you ask,"But where??" . aa..mmm..well....in my cooking lab ,"My wonder kitchen" :P ...after all it was festival time and it's not festival if you don't make/eat sweets and delicacies ..right??



Well,that's one of the sweet reason why I love festivals ...you get an excuse to splurge on festival treats without any ifs and buts ...and ifs and buts do surface once festival is over ...like now ..if only I would have eaten a sweet a day ...but there was no space in the refrigerator you know :(:P...likewise...so it's dieting time...err..again that's not true..dieting and me can't stand each other at any cost...even if you say I'll become a millionaire if I answered positively to the simple question,"Are you ready for dieting?" in say,"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ? ".....Without any second thought I'll say,"NOOOOO"Girl Says NO NO.Period.



Well the thing is myself and Honey P/hubby are like Balloons ..did you say ,"Oh how chweet and fun!!"...well,duh !! I know I know but that's not what I meant:P ..Just like balloons we need only some air to pufffff up !! Sighhh....Crying and snifflingSo do you think dieting is gonna work anyways?...hmmm...I don't think so...actually been there done that BUT I get bored easily too....dieting is no fun and life should be fun ...they say,make the best out of a day as if it's the last day of your life and then comeon who is gonna diet on a day eh??:P ...so I eat best to make the day my bestie :D...okkk jokes apart it's not that I eat non-stop or guilty-is all the time ,I do aim at healthy eating without compromising the taste.At times unhealthy too...that's ok ..chaltha hai.boss...

Vegetable_pasta_soup

So,I would rather say it's time for detoxing and for that I prepared a very very healthy ,filling "Vegetable Pasta soup" , made up of star shaped mini pasta and a colorful combinations of vegetables like carrot,capsicums,onion,garlic,tomato and nine different dried beans in a vegetable broth.How healthy is that?? Let's check the recipe:


Vegetable Pasta soup

Ingredients

Carrot,chopped  - 1 no.
Capsicum (different colored-green,yellow,red,orange) ,chopped - 1 cup
Onion,diced - 1/2 cup
Tomato,sliced - 1/2 cup
Garlic,minced - 1 tablespoon
Nav Dhan/Nine types of lentil beans or just any preferred beans - 1 cup
Vegetable bouillon cubes - 2-4 nos.
Small star pasta - 1/2-1 cup
Salt and pepper to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Canola/Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon
Water as needed
 

Method:

  • Pressure cook ( as per your cooker manufacturer's instruction) nine beans,enough water covering them,salt,pepper ,turmeric,chilli powder and vegetable bouillons for 20-25 minutes on high-medium-low heat until the beans are cooked and squishy or if cooker has whistles then for 3-4 whistles on medium-low heat until cooked and the vegetable bouillon cubes are completely dissolved.
  • Now remove from the fire and let it rest for a few minutes.
  • Once the steam subsides,open the cooker carefully and check if the beans are cooked properly and cubes dissolved .If not,then let it simmer with lids closed on medium-low heat for sometime until they are cooked,everything mixed and mushy.
  • Take a deep pan, saute the onions in the oil until they are tender .
  • Add the garlic and saute for a minute.
  • Add carrots,capsicums and tomato .Saute until tomato becomes soft and mushy.
  • Add star pastas.
  • Now add half cup of water plus everything from the pressure cooker to it .
  • Boil it then simmer it for a while on low heat until the pasta gets cooked properly.
  • Add more water if needed and simmer for like 10-15 minutes.
  • Turn off the stove and enjoy the hot hot healthy healthy vegetable pasta soup especially if the weather is chilly outside or anytime as you wish.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve it right away.
Note:
  1. Nav dhan means nine beans , a combination of dried beans - Pinto beansKidney beans,Black-eyed peas,Black Beans,Chilli Beans,Mung bean,black chickpeas,Adzuki beans,Navy beans.
  2.  I used

 Eat,love,live well,