Summer Pasta with Pesto, Zucchini and Mint

Finding a simple, cheap and healthy meal that is not daal bhat can be a struggle. I run out of ideas. Even more so in the monsoon season, when it sometimes feels to hot to eat and fresh seasonal vegetables are limited.

This was an experimental dish that turned out quite nice: budget-friendly, filling, and refreshing on a hot day. I didn't overdo the garlic in the pesto and my toddler and baby both ate it. I love to see them shovelling down healthy greens (albeit with quite a lot of olive oil).

I used the big round zucchinis that are readily available here, although the standard long ones are fine. The basil and mint came straight from my garden. I added fresh gran pardano cheese that I had in my fridge, but any parmesan-ish type, even the bottled dry one will do. In fact, the pesto is quite nice on its own without the cheese if it can't be found or if you are dairy free.

The pesto can be made up to a few days in advance (or longer). However, you will need a blender of some sort to make

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 c loosely packed fresh basil, washed and roughly chopped or torn
• 1/4 c cashew nuts (I used roasted unsalted, you can use salted but add less salt to the pesto if you do this)
• 2/3 c plus 1Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 round zucchini or 2 small long zucchinis, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 c loosely packed mint, finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• * 1/4 c grated parmesan (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta to your liking.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine 2/3 cup of oil, garlic, cashew nuts, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less if using salted cashews) and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor or blender and pulse to combine. You might need to do it in batches, or scrape down the sides occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese if using.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the mint.
4. Divide the pasta among bowls and spoon the pesto and zucchini over the top.

Yum!

Thai Chicken Patties

A perfect monsoon season meal, with easy to find ingredients and a light refreshing taste. These chicken patties are not too time consuming and are fairly kid-friendly - providing you adjust the amount of chilli!

To make gluten-free, omit the breadcrumbs or use a small amount of rice flour or gluten-free oats in replacement.

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

• 500g minced chicken
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3/4" piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• juice of one small lemon
• 1/4c cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 - 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• *1/4 c breadcrumbs or panko. This can be omitted, but the patties turn out a little wet.
• *1 chilli finely chopped (optional, I omit when serving to kids)
• Vegetable oil for frying.
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Put chicken into a large bowl. Drain any excess water or juice.
2. Combine onion, garlic, ginger and chilli (if using) in a food processor or a blender attachment to make into a rough paste. If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can still make the patties, but chop the ingredients as finely as possible.
3. Mix paste, breadcrumbs, egg, fish sauce, lemon and cilantro into the chicken. Drain excess liquid. 
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Form mixture into patties, at most 3" wide and 3/4" thick. I like to make 'mini' ones for little kids/babies as they are easier to grasp.
6. I also like to make these ahead, and after forming the patties I chill them in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking, although this is NOT necessary.
7. Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
8. Cook patties 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through. While cooking, use the flipper or spatula to flatten the patties and squeeze out excess liquid.
9. Serve hot or cold and garnish with cilantro sprigs. They are best with a sauce, such as a Thai sweet chilli sauce, or perhaps a yoghurt mint sauce. I also like to serve with a thai vermicelli noodle salad.

Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

The whole family loves macaroni and cheese, and this version is great for getting more vegetables into kids who tend to be picky.

Use whatever vegetables are in season, although the cauliflower is a must. Broccoli is also very nice, although it wasn't in season when i made the recipe below, so I used zucchini to compensate for a green vegetable.

Ingredients

• 250g pasta, short pasta is best
• 2 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower, steamed and quite soft
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup pumpkin pieces, cut in small cubes then roasted (for better flavour) or steamed
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 3/4 cups milk
• 1 1/5 tbsp flour
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar is good, regular cow cheese is fine)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta until soft, set aside and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. (Instead of the pasta water, you can also reserve some of the water used to steam your veggies)
2. Heat butter in a large skillet on medium heat.
3. Add leeks and cook 2-3 minutes. Then add mushrooms, cook another 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 2 minutes. 
4. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and butter in the pan. let sit for about 20 seconds then using a spatula, scrape it up and stir it around the pan for another minute or so. This is to ensure the flour cooks and doesn't leave a 'floury' taste.
5. Turn the heat down and add the milk, whisking it in and scraping the bottom of the pan to make a gooey vegetable paste. Turn heat to low. 
6. Add the cauliflower and stir it into the sauce, mushing it a little with a fork. Add other cooked veggies here too including the pumpkin, if using.
7. If the sauce looks too thick, add some of the reserved water, a little at a time. 
8. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese, further thickening the sauce. Again, add little bits of reserved water (or more milk) to thin sauce to your liking. 
9. Season with salt & pepper.
10. Stir in the pasta to coat and heat.
11. Serve with a nice green salad, or cucumber and carrot sticks.