PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

These days I have been sleeping a lot. When I woke up at noon yesterday, I didn't have much time to cook. My daughter told me she loves cooking and she finds it relaxing to return from work and make something healthy and quick without having to hang around in the kitchen too long. She had made pasta with veggies and chicken, the first day we arrived in Birmingham and we had loved it.  I thought, why not make some pasta. Lucky me, I had lots of vegetables in the fridge and some left over chicken. And I had just bought fresh broccoli from the Farmer's market in Sultan Center at Sharq Mall on Wednesday. 

Here's my recipe which tastes different from my daughter's. I don't know what sauces and secret ingredients she added that made her pasta taste heavenly. When I asked her yesterday, she laughed, saying, 'I just add whatever is there and make something quick'. 

Ingredients:

Pasta 

boiled chicken (cut into small pieces)

broccoli

carrot cut into thin strips

french beans cut thin and long

mushroom (preferably fresh and not canned)

tomatoes

* Celery

* Red bell pepper (capsicum)

mixed Italian herbs

Tomato sauce, tomato puree

onions

garlic

olive oil ( I used extra virgin olive oil)

green chilli sauce or crushed green chilli mixed in bit vinegar and olive oil

red chilli flakes (dont over do it - just add the right amount to your taste)

salt

pepper

** Add your own seasoning of spice powders for zest and zing

*** While serving, add grated parmesan cheese on top if you like 

Boil the pasta with salt and bit of olive oil in plenty of water. Drain and wash with cold water, so they turn sticky. Heat a large sauce pan, add some olive oil, when it turns warm, add your veggies and stir fry - dont over cook them. Veggies should be crisp. * You can add celery and red pepper as well ( like my daughter did), but I didn't have those at the time I made pasta. I cooked the mushrooms separately, as it requires a bit more cooking time. Keep aside. Heat the same pan again, add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic, saute. Add tomatoes and saute. Add the tomato puree and some water and let cook, add the green chilli sauce (or crushed green chillies in vinegar and olive oil), salt and pepper, saute till the raw taste of tomato puree disappears and the sauce would begin to taste yummy. It shouldnt be dry. Add bit of water to make it thick and saucy. Add cooked chicken pieces and the stir fried vegetables, and mushroom. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the red chilli flakes. Add pasta and stir. Or serve the pasta sauce with chicken and vegetables on a bed of pasta.  It tastes great. ** You can add your own creative seasoning to add zing and zest to your pasta.

Here's my Pasta with chicken and vegetables - light, healthy, tasty and something you can prepare quick when you don't have much time

Now this pasta is what my daughter prepared on the first day we visited her in UK.  I clicked this picture when I was half way through !