Recipes | Avocado and Tomato Almond Pasta – Staying positive in tough times
“Life is not the way it’s supposed to be, it’s the way it is. The way you cope is what makes the difference.”~Virginia Satir
“Packing..Checked, flight details..checked, just one more day to go and we will be having fun at your granny’s home” I looked at children and smiled, barely hiding my excitement of meeting mom and just being in Udaipur again.
But destiny has its own plans and sometimes unexpected things can happen. We went through tough times, the very thought of which makes me shudder. The trip was called off.
A wonderful support group of some friends & relatives and our positive mindset made the difficult time seem less significant. Nonetheless, I was disturbed and needed a short break to get back into my old routine.
“Guys, pack your bags, we are starting to Yelagiri tomorrow morning at 5 am” announced my hubby all of a sudden, before going to bed.
With no plans and booking for our stay, we just packed our bags in night and slept early to start for a quick road-trip next day. The trip was a perfect antidote for the stress we underwent and made us feel a lot better.
For some reason I did not feel like lugging my slr this time. I wanted to completely soak myself into the beauty of nature and enjoy the family time sans camera and the persistent madness to click that perfect picture every time.
But a trip without pictures..naah…so here are a few moments I could manage to capture from my smartphone..
The beautiful millet, marigold, Palmyra and banana fields on the way..
Our cozy cottage with a backdrop of forest for 3 days..
Some local berries and fruits on the pathway to a nature’s park…
Morning walk with some feathered friends in the resort..
Quick afternoon siesta in a hammock outside the cottage..
The flowers, my shirt and the cottage roof..son clicked this picture while I was watching them play in the garden.
Time to play with daddy dear..
I have never seen a tree with these many honey combs, and this is just one side of that tree…
As they say..travel imparts new vigor to the mind, and I am already feeling better now – much like my old self 🙂
- 1. Avocado Basil Pasta
We had our dinner in a small Italian restaurant at Yelagiri where we were served Avocado-Basil and Tomato-Almond pasta. I could not resist and asked the chef if he can share the recipe of the same with me which he gladly did.
Simple and delicious, all that you need is just to throw in a few ingredients in a blender to make these healthy and quick pasta recipes. Avocado gives a wonderful creamy texture and richness to the pasta sauce.
Ingredients
(serve 3)
- 2 cups of Penne Pasta
- 1 medium ripe Avocado
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 tsp.Black peppercorns
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 10-12 Mint or Basil Leaves
- Salt to taste
- Water as required
Method; Bring about 5 cups of water to boil and cook pasta in it till it is ‘al dente’ (cooked to chewy texture).
Drain the pasta and reserve the water.
Add garlic, olive oil, salt, peppercorns in a blender and blend it for a few seconds.
Add mint/basil leaves and avocado pulp in it and bland again to get a smooth puree. Add a little water if you find it difficult to grind. I had a fully ripened Avocado which I just mashed and added in the puree.
Add this Avocado sauce to the cooked and drained pasta and toss with a fork to coat well.
Add reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of the dish and serve it with grated cheese or as is.
2. Tomato Almond Pasta
Ingredients
(serve 3)
- 2 cups of Penne Pasta
- 5 ripened tomatoes
- 10-12 almonds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 dry red chilly
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- Few mint/ basil leaves
- Salt to taste
- Water as required
Method; Cook pasta in boiling water till ‘al dente’, drain and reserve the water.
Soak tomatoes, red chilly and almonds in hot water for 10 minutes and remove the skin from almonds and tomatoes. I skipped this step and used raw ingredients instead.
Grind soaked almonds in a blender with garlic cloves, red chilly for a few seconds.
Add de-skinned tomatoes, mint/basil to the blender and grind again.
Take the almond-tomato sauce in a large bowl, add salt, Olive oil in it and combine well
Add cooked and drained pasts in it and mix it with a fork. Add reserved water in the pasta to adjust the consistency of the recipe.
Hello Sanjeeta, Glad you are back to your old self. Have missed your easy and delicious recipes and your positive write ups. Lovely pictures and delicious pasta.
Cheers
Hi Sanjeeta, I’m surely gonna try this pasta recipe.
Thanks for this delicious dish 🙂
Keep posting more great recipes
Your recipe seems to be very interesting. I am gonna try that at home. Though I am not a great cook. And the pictures are awesome.
Priya @asmallbite
Hi sangeetha,just now I saw your blog nice post and very informative for new bloggers like me.Thanks for sharing.
Hey Sanjeetha!
I am a big fan of your blog! I love the simple narration of your recipe, beautiful clicks and your passion for cooking and presentation! I like these pasta recipe for the simplicity. Keep up the great work! Would love to meet you someday 🙂
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