Spaghetti in White sauce with sauteed Garlicky Chicken n Veggies

This homemade white sauce is the most delicious and the easiest recipe!! The white sauce is also called as Bechamel sauce, although the Italians refer to it as salsa di besciamella. In this, the flour is cooked in the melted butter and the required amount of milk is added for a thick, creamy sauce for the spaghetti. This white sauce can be used in most of the pasta dishes, as a pizza topping and also on toast along with sauteed mushrooms. A perfect for any dish.

We can add any cheese of your choice and also a different variety of veggies. This is a perfect dish for kids lunch box and they will finish off within no time. This dish is so easy to make and takes much less time. By the time the spaghetti gets cooked, we can prepare the sauce and saute the chicken and veggies. Try this recipe and let me know how this turned out...

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti- 1 pack

For sauteeing:

1. Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
2. Boneless Chicken pieces (cubed)- 2 Cups
3. Broccoli- 1 cup
4. Asparagus- 1/2 Cup
5. Bell Peppers- 1 no
6. Garlic- 3 tbsp
7. Tomato- 1no
8. Onion- 1 no

For White sauce:

1. Butter- 1/4 stick
2. All Purpose Flour- 3 tbsp
3. Milk- 1 1/2 Cups
4. Italian Herb Mix- 2 tbsp
5. Red Chili Flakes- 1 tbsp
6. Salt- as required
7. Pepper- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. In a large pot cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a pan heat oil, saute the chopped garlic then add the vegetables along with salt and pepper till done. Remove when done.
3. In the remaining oil add the cubed chicken and saute till cooked well. Keep this aside along with the veggies.
4. Heat a large skillet, add butter. Once it starts melting, add the all purpose flour and stir it well till it gets cooked. Add the milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring to a boil, add the salt and pepper. Lower the heat, add the Italian herb mix, red chili flakes and cook for 2- 3 minutes.
5. In the white sauce, add the sauteed chicken and veggies. give it a stir. Add the cooked spaghetti and mix everything together. Enjoy a nice warm spaghetti along with your favorite show on TV.

Quinoa & Egg Salad

A healthy and nutritious salad a day keeps the guilt away, that is what I believe. Most of the days I like to have salad and I will be searching for a different variety of salads. Till now I have made salads using grilled chicken, fish but never made an egg salad.

This simple and healthy salad is made out of very fewer ingredients. This salad consists of all of my favorite ingredients which are boiled and mixed together.

These salads are filling, low- cal and a great way to satisfy your daily requirements. We can have this salad any time of the day. The nutty quinoa goes very well with soft eggs. I hope you all would like this.

Ingredients:

1. Eggs- 3-4 nos
2. Quinoa- ¼ Cup
3. Broccoli- 1 Cup
4. Spinach- ½ Cup
5. Capsicum- ½ no
6. Olives- 6- 7 nos (optional)
7. Salt- as required
8. Pepper- 1 Tsp
9. Avocados- 1 no
10. Boiled Corn- ½ Cup

Method:

1. Boil the eggs till done. Remove the shell and 2 eggs cut in half and the remaining eggs remove the yolks and cut into quarters.
2. Cook the quinoa till done. Boil the broccoli and capsicum by adding little water. Wash, drain and slice the spinach to pieces.
3. In a bowl mix everything together slowly, add the sliced avocados and enjoy a healthy salad.

Balsamic Chicken and Veggie Salad

Nowadays we are more into healthy salads for dinner. I was searching for some salad recipes and got this balsamic chicken salad which is a one pot salad that is very filling. As I had all the ingredients readily available in the kitchen, I tried it out. This dish is not only easy but a very delicious and appetizing.

With very fewer ingredients, we can make a healthy, protein-rich, nutritious dish by spending very less time in the kitchen. A perfectly balanced meal, with the choice of veggies.

In this, the chicken pieces and veggies are coated with balsamic dressing and baked till done. This dish is versatile and with full of flavors. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

Adapted from here:

1. Boneless Chicken- 1 lb
2. Minced Garlic- 3 tbsp
3. Dried Thyme- 1 tbsp
4. Dried Oregano- 1 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Pepper- 1 tbsp
7. Broccoli- 1 Cup
8. Carrots- 2 nos (peeled and cut into thin strips)
9. Mushrooms- 1 Cup (cut into half)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix the balsamic vinegar along with minced garlic, dried thyme, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Pour this balsamic vinegar mixture in a ziplock bag along with chicken pieces and mix till everything gets blended well.
4. Keep this aside till the vegetables get ready.
5. Cut the carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms to the desired size and marinate them in a baking pan with the remaining balsamic vinegar mixture and toss well.
6. On top of the veggies place the marinated chicken pieces and bake for about 15- 20 minutes. Enjoy an amazingly delicious salad.

Healthy Rosemary Baked Chicken and Vegetables

Healthy, flavorful and tastier is what we call this simple and comforting dish which can be prepared within no time on a lazy Sunday. This dish is very filling and which is loaded with colorful veggies and packed with proteins.

In this dish, the chicken breasts and our favorite veggies are baked together along with a dash of spices and is fully flavored with the Mediterranean herb of rosemary. Last spring I bought a lovely plant of rosemary and it survived through this winter and as I love the flavor of rosemary in my salads or other dishes, I thought of using the fresh rosemary sprigs to this dish. I usually use the dried leaves of rosemary. The distinctive taste of rosemary has taken this dish to another level.

This is an incredibly easy and a satisfying meal, which can be prepared for lunch or dinner.

When you feel lazy to cook, try out some of these delicious and healthier one pot baked dishes rather than calling for a take-out. You can have this without chicken, just add all your favorite veggies and tada an amazingly delicious, the heavenly dish will be ready within minutes to enjoy.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless Chicken- 500 gms
2. Paprika- 1 tbsp
3. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
4. Pepper powder- 1 tsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Garlic (crushed)- 5 cloves
7. Fresh Rosemary Sprigs- 1 no
8. Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tsp
9. Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
10. Mushrooms- 1 Cup
11. Capsicum- 1 cup
12. Broccoli- 1 Cup
13. Cucumber- 1 no
14. Spinach- 1 Cup
15. Salt - a pinch
16. Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
17. Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Clean, wash and pat dry the chicken. Make slits and keep this aside.
2. Mix paprika, salt, pepper powder, turmeric powder, crushed garlic cloves, rosemary leaves, vinegar and lemon juice in a glass bowl. Spread this paste on the slitted chicken well on both the side. Keep this for about 15- 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile slice the capsicum, mushrooms and chop the cucumber, spinach, and broccoli into sizes. Smear little oil on top of the veggies along with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Mix well.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking tray with a parchment paper and arrange the veggies as shown or mix everything together and place them on the parchment paper on the baking tray.
5. Line another baking tray with parchment paper and place the marinated boneless chicken pieces and bake both the veggies and the chicken for about 20- 25 minutes or until the veggies are cooked and the chicken gets tender.
6. When done, remove the vegetables and chicken from the oven. Slice the chicken to bite sized pieces and arrange the required amount of veggies and sliced chicken in serving plate, enjoy warm.

Simple and Easy Veggie Omelette

This Veggie omelette is appetizing and easy to make. This is versatile. You can add as many vegetables as you like. Now a days I am in love with broccoli, that I like to include them in my daily menu in one or the other way. Sometimes I simple saute the broccoli florets in olive oil along with salt and pepper and sometimes I like to have them raw. I love salad greens and so I add the broccoli florets in these along with cherry tomatoes and little bit of salad dressing.

Omelette in our house is either plain or just add the regular chopped onions and green chillies. This thought of adding broccoli in egg came when I was about to eat lunch. As my husband doesn’t like veggies, it is better to make when he is not around.. ;) And so I tried this along with capsicum and it was mindblowing. My daughter loves everything what I make and when she came back from school, I gave this as an after snack and she was loving it to the last bite.

This can be had as a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Very filling, tastes good and in no time we can prepare this.

I have posted frittata in one of my earlier posts in which cheese is added and this one is much different Just try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Eggs- 2 nos
2. Onions (chopped)- 1 no
3. Tomatoes(chopped)- ½ no
4. Green Chillies (cubed)- ½ no
5. Red Capsicum (cubed)- ½ no
6. Broccoli florets- a handful
7. Salt- as required
8. Pepper- 1 tsp
9. Oil- 1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Stir fry onions, green chillies, tomatoes, broccoli and capsicum pieces, till the raw smell disappears. Add salt.
2. Break and beat the eggs in a bowl and pour this on the sauteed veggies on a low flame.
3. Sprinkle pepper powder and when it is cooked on one side, flip and enjoy warm omelette.