Tag Archives: Red peppers

Brown Rice Pasta Salad

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OMG this is a delicious meal! The sauce in this salad makes it addictive and the texture of the brown rice pasta is heaven.

Brown Rice Pasta Salad (Adapted from a turkey recipe booklet!)

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tsp sriracha (Asian hot sauce)
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 250g brown rice penne or rotini pasta
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 cup snow peas or green beans, trimmed
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 cup salted, roasted cashews
  • 4 cups salad greens

Combine the first 6 ingredients and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions (do not overcook!). Drain pasta and toss it with 1/2 the sauce. Set aside.

In a medium-sized pan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for a minute and add the red pepper and green beans (if using) and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the snow peas (if using) and cook for another minute. Add the pasta and the remaining sauce and warm through for another 2 minutes. Add basil and cashews and remove from heat. Toss on salad greens. Y-U-M. I forgot to take a picture because I ate it way too fast…

Crunchy Veggie Wraps

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It’s finally summer. Hot, humid, sunny weather. Love it. My meals tend to change though during this time of year to light, crispy, and refreshing foods.

A day before I receive my next food share box, I needed to use up some of the remaining vegetables in the fridge. A veggie wrap is a great way to do this because it’s so versatile–you can put anything in there!

Crunchy Veggie Wrap (makes 1 wrap)

  • 1 whole wheat tortilla
  • 1 tbsp homemade baba ghanoush (so much tastier if you make it yourself)
  • 1 lettuce leaf
  • 1/2 small avocado
  • few strips red pepper
  • few slices baby carrots
  • few slices cucumber
  • dash of black pepper

Heat your tortilla in the microwave for 10 seconds so it becomes softer and pliable. Spread the baba ghanoush on the tortilla and place a lettuce leaf on top. Add all your veggies and sprinkle some pepper on top. Roll. I clearly overloaded my wrap which became a soft taco. No worries though!

You can swap the baba ghanoush for hummus, cream cheese, a mixture of light mayo with lime juice and lime zest, etc. The veggies can be swapped for any other veggies! The sky is the limit here! Enjoy!

BBQ-Roasted Veggie Salad

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I’m loving the warm weather we’re getting here in Toronto. That means BBQ season!

This salad is a great addition to any BBQ. The smokiness you get from roasting all the vegetables is delicious! This recipe is super flexible–use any vegetables you want and your favourite vinaigrette. It can also be made in advance, as you want to eat this salad at room temperature.

BBQ-Roasted Vegetable Salad

  • 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
  • 1 eggplant, thickly sliced lengthwise
  • 1 red pepper, cut into quarters
  • 1 yellow pepper, cut into quarters
  • 1 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1 red onion, thickly sliced
  • olive oil
  • your favourite vinaigrette (lemon, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, herbs)

Brush all the vegetables with olive oil and place on your preheated BBQ.

Grill both sides until lightly charred. Remove from BBQ and coarsely chop all your vegetables. Place in a bowl and gently combine with your vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature. This salad will also keep well in the fridge as leftovers for the next day.

Pasta with Mushrooms & Red Peppers

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There’s a cold-weather warning here in Toronto today and we’re expecting a huge snowstorm for tomorrow–the biggest one in 3 years. I ain’t going nowhere! So I’m camping out at home with some warm comfort food–pasta!

375g whole wheat short pasta (such as penne, fusilli)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 garlic coves, finely chopped

4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper

2 red peppers, thinly sliced

2 tbsp red wine

1 1/4 cups unsweetened regular almond milk

1 tbsp whole wheat flour

3 tbsp chopped basil

Dairy-free grated parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and set aside.

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat and add the garlic, mushrooms, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir until everything begins to brown and mushrooms begin to give out some of their juice. Add the red peppers and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in wine and cook for another few minutes until some of the liquid reduces. Add in the almond milk.

Take a cupful of the juice in the pan and pour into a bowl. Whisk in your flour until no longer lumpy. Pour that mixture back into your pan and whisk. Turn your heat to high and boil, then reduce back to medium heat and boil gently while stirring, for a few minutes. Your liquid should thicken up.

Add your pasta and basil. Serve with parmesan ‘cheese’.

I find that this dish tastes the best eaten right away.

Enjoy!