One Pot Pasta With Broccoli, Olives, Mascarpone and Lemon

I think I’m just gonna go ahead and marry myself.

140g dried wholemeal penne
200g young broccoli with its young leaves, cut into small florets
some kalamata olives
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp basil pesto
3 tbsp light mascarpone (left over from that amazing cheesecake I made)
½ small bunch parsley, torn

Cook the pasta following pack instructions, adding the broccoli 4 mins before the end of the cooking time.

Reserve a cup of the water, then drain everything and tip back into the pot.

Add all remaining ingredients to the pot + enough of the pasta water to create a creamy sauce. Season with a good grinding of black pepper and a little sea salt.

Makes for two.

Step By Step Thai Vegan Curry

Do you remember how a few posts back, I confessed that I wasn’t really a chef? Well, this is a perfect example of that. Tonight I cooked vegan curry with a ready-made paste (gasp) AND it was delicious. Here’s how:

STEP ONE: gather your ingredients
1 preservative-free Thai curry paste
1 small can coconut milk
1 onion
3-4 small potatoes or sunchokes
1 large carrot
1 small broccoli head
some snap peas
1 punnet white mushrooms
(all veggies chopped small-medium)
1/2 cup raw peanuts
small bunch of fresh parsley or coriander

STEP TWO: heat a pan, add paste, 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water, bring to a boil. 

STEP THREE: add onion, sunchokes and carrots then cover and cook for 15-25 minutes.

STEP FOUR: add broccoli then cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Step FIVE: add snap peas and mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

TO FINISH: top with peanuts and herbs.

DAS IT, YO!

Vegetable Lasagna

250g wholemeal lasagna sheets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 capsicum (any colour)
1 punnet of white button mushrooms
2 small eggplants
handful of fresh spinach
small broccoli head
(all veggies chopped medium to small)
400g can all-natural diced tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
750g smooth ricotta cheese
3 free-range eggs
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Vegetable sauce:
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Add capsicum, mushroom, eggplant, spinach and broccoli, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for 3 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Ricotta:
Mix ricotta, eggs and basil, season with salt and pepper

Assembly: 
Preheat oven to 180C

Pour 1/2 cup of vegetables sauce into a lightly greased baking dish then alternate layers of lasagna, vegetable sauce and ricotta, ending with ricotta layer (allow for 4 layers).

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes (25 if using white lasagna sheets).

Let stand for  5 minutes before serving.

TIP: the trick to delicious lasagna is AMPLE SAUCE and that the lasagna sheets, are completely covered with/in it. So for extra yum-factor, make sure your lasagna retains a high level of moisture.