Favorite Vegetable & Pasta recipes with a light sauce?

I'm looking for creative ways to eat healthier and I love to saute in the summer time and would love to hear what you suggest with no limitations on choices of veggies, pasta or sauces, ethnicity of cuisine or recipe difficulty. Thank you very much! I'm going to the store tomorrow for the BA recipe!Favorite Vegetable %26amp; Pasta recipes with a light sauce?
Hey Renee~





(I'll preface this by saying that I'm kinda burned out on Italian........I love it [heck, I'm half Italian.....])





Did you specifically want Italian??? Or would you do a stir-fry, say Thai style?? Same basic ingredients, different flavor profiles......





And for summer, I have a recipe for a cucumber and rice noodle salad if you'd like. It goes extremely well with the stir fry......I'll star this and check back........Or email me?? Thanks..........





Christopher K.





EDIT:





Thanks, Renee.........I'll start digging through my Asian recipe archives........ ;)





EDIT II:





Here's the one with the Cucumbers and Rice Noodles.....it's a cold (non cooked) salad.....but with shrimp or chicken, it could also be a 'meal salad'.......





Asian Cucumber Salad with Rice Noodles:





When I do Asian inspired dishes, as a side, I like to do something light to go with the Asian 'light theme'





Cucumber %26amp; Rice Noodle Salad:





2 medium cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber


4 oz rice noodles, soaked in hot water till pliable, about 15 minutes


1/2 tsp toasted (dark) sesame oil


1/4 cup rice vinegar


1 teaspoon sugar


1/4 teaspoon salt


2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (see Tip)





Directions





Peel cucumbers to leave alternating green stripes. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise; scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Using a food processor or sharp knife, cut into very thin slices. Place in a double layer of paper towel and squeeze gently to remove any excess moisture.





Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the cucumbers, drained rice noodles and sesame seeds; toss well to combine. Serve immediately.





Tip: To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.








EDIT 932 ;)





Thai Chicken Cellophane Noodle Salad:





4 1/2 to 5 ounces cellophane noodles (bean threads, available at Asian markets and many supermarkets)


3 pounds chicken breasts, poached, skin and bones discarded, and the meat torn into thin shreds (about 4 cups)


1 cup finely grated carrot


2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped


For the dressing:


4 large garlic cloves


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/4 cup soy sauce


1/2 cup fresh lime juice


1 tablespoon sugar


1 tablespoon peanut butter


1 1/4 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes


1/4 cup vegetable oil


1/3 cup coarsely crushed roasted peanuts, or to taste


Directions


In a large heatproof bowl pour boiling water to cover over the noodles and let them stand for 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and arrange them on a platter or divide them among 6 plates. In a bowl combine the chicken, the carrot and the cucumbers.





Make the dressing: Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a blender blend together the soy sauce, the lime juice, the sugar, the peanut butter, the red pepper flakes and the garlic paste, with the motor running add the oil in a stream, and blend the dressing until it is emulsified.





Pour half the dressing over the chicken mixture, toss the salad well, and arrange it in the center of the noodles. The salad may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Just before serving top the salad with the peanuts. Serve the remaining dressing separately. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled.











Christopher K.Favorite Vegetable %26amp; Pasta recipes with a light sauce?
How about Pasta Primavera?





12 ounces pasta, bowtie noodles


2 yellow squash, thinly sliced


10 ounces asparagus spears, cut in 2'; pieces


8 ounces baby carrots, cut lengthwise, half


2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


2 cups skim milk


1/4 cup sour cream, light


2 tablespoons Dijon mustard


2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon pepper


2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled





Add pasta to a large pot of boiling water and cook 10 minutes. Add squash, asparagus and carrots and cook 8 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. Drain and place in a large serving bowl.


Meanwhile put flour in a large skillet. Slowly whisk in milk until blended, taking care to get into corners of skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat, whisk in sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.





Pour over pasta mixture and stir to mix and coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
Cream-less pasta primavera





Ingredients


3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips


2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips


2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips


1 onion, thinly sliced


1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips


1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips


1/4 cup olive oil


Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence


1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)


15 cherry tomatoes, halved


1/2 cup grated Parmesan





Directions


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.





On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.





Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.





Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.
i love to use whole grain pasta elbows boil in water


in a wok heat olive oil eye ball enough to cover the amount of pasta ur making and garlic taken out of the cloves roast in the oil at least 2-3 cloves worth for 10-12 mins on medium heat and then when pasta is done


drain the pasta add a bag of frozen mixed veggies like carrots and broccoli and cauliflower heat on low heat with the pasta add the garlic olive oil on top and mix the garlic all over the pasta and veggies heat together and serve with bread sticks or hard bread
Well, I dont know any light sauces, except maybe putting about a two tablespoons of extra virgin garlic olive oil on it. But to saute a vegetable healthier, saute it in vegetable broth.

vista