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I have mentioned time and again that I am a die hard fan of pasta in all its forms. I don’t mind if its cheesy, boozy, creamy or simply loaded with veggies. Pasta holds a sacred place in my heart. As my little up is growing up I have seen similar or more violent streak to devour pasta. This makes the matter serious since we are a complete pasta loving family and I  have to come up with more and more pasta recipes. Sigh!

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Well  lately my husband and me are on a load shedding spree, which means creamy and cheesy pastas have to be kept at bay. 🙁 I decided to make this healthier pasta with Broccoli which uses no cream and very little cheese and that too is purely optional. I have always loved such simple pastas. You can enjoy them without feeling very guilty ;). I had earlier posted Sauteed Red Bell Pepper & Olive Pasta which was also without cream and cheese. 

Directions:

1. Cut the broccoli into florets and wash them under running water to make it dirt free. Boil pasta as per packet instructions. You can choose any shape you like. Learn how to boil pasta perfectly.


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2. Drain water and keep the florets aside. Also finely chop some garlic or you can even mince it. 

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3. In a pan add some olive oil.

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4. Add chopped garlic and Red chilli Flakes to the oil. Let the oil get infused with garlic and red chili flakes while it heats up.


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5. Add broccoli florets and give it a toss in the oil. 

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6. Add water and stock bullion. Or you can use vegetable stock only.


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7. Season with salt and let it cook covered on low medium heat till broccoli is partially cooked. You will be able to cut the broccoli with a spatula.


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8. Add boiled pasta to the broccoli and combine.

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9. Season it with Ground Black pepper.

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10. Add little butter to make it smoother.

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11. Top it up with Parmesan Cheese.

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12. Serve it hot with Cheesy Garlic Bread on the side.

Other Pasta recipes you can try here are: Pasta Alla Vodka, Sauteed Red Bell Pepper & Olive Pasta, Avocado Parsley Pasta, Sundried Tomatoes Pasta Salad, Spaghetti Vegetable Pasta , Chicken Lasagna, Mushroom Lasagna in Bechamel Sauce.

BrocolliPasta_Featured2[whohit]BroccoliPasta[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’173′]

 

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Any mother would understand how difficult it is to make your little ones eat. You have to apply so many tricks to handle and control their eating tantrums. The food has to be glamorized so that they at least give it a try. This could be very maddening at times.

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Another challenge is to make them eat healthy and something which is not processed. These days super markets are stacked with frozen snacks which are processed and have no nutritional value. Unfortunately kids are tempted by its appearance and taste. One such snack is Smiley Potatoes by McCain. So I decided I would recreate those smileys at home from fresh products. To my utter surprise they were delicious and tasted almost the same as store bought but many times healthier. I could see the excitement in my kiddos eyes as he grabbed one piece after another. Only a mother would know what satisfaction this brings in.

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes till they are done and peel their skin off.

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2. Mash the potatoes with a Potato masher in a bowl. Add corn Flour and mix with a spoon.

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3. Add ginger garlic paste. Season with salt and red chili powder. If your kids don’t eat chili you can skip it.


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4. Add little turmeric powder and juice of half a lemon.


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5. Mix and mash  everything together till everything comes together in the form of a soft dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

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6. Take a spoon full of potato dough and shape it into a ball.

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7. Flatten it by pressing between your hands about 2mm thickness. In alternate you can use a cookie cutter or small lids to make perfect shapes.

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8. Use a clean pencil back end to make eyes.

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8. And a spoon end to make the smiley face.

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9. Heat oil in a wok or kadai and fry these smileys till crisp and golden.


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10. Absorb the oil on a kitchen paper towel and serve. You can put these as a lunchbox snacks for your kid. 

Other kids recipes you can try here are: Vegan Chocolate Muffins, Whole Wheat Banana Bread, Soya Veggie Vermicelli

Other Potato recipes on The Secret Ingredient: Punjabi Style Dum Aloo, Punjabi Style Aloo Methi, Aloo Patty, Yam Potato Chat, Aloo Anar Raita, Sabudana Vada, Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Rosemary.

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[whohit]Potato Smileys[/whohit]

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