Greek Inspired Meatless Monday : Pasta with Yogurt and Mushroom-Fenegreek Fritters

Pasta with yogurt is what we had for dinner last night. and we LOVED it. it was so delicious and went so well with the mushroom-fenugreek fritters that i had made to go with it. both the preparations were inspired by Greek recipes from the book The Glorious Foods of Greece ~ Diane Kochilas that i had picked up from the local library last Saturday. The recipes that inspired our meal were

Pasta with Yogurt and Caramelized Onions from Kassos  & 

Wild Mushroom Fritters Seasoned with Cumin from Masari in Rhodes.

Just to adapt to our food habits I slightly modified both the recipes and the result was DELICIOUS. I had ever imagined that i'll sing such praise for a  non-cheesy pasta-dish. but this one was so good that i had to share...   

First the recipe of Pasta with Yogurt .....

ingredients

1/2 cup split red lentil (masoor dal)

5 celery stalks, finely chopped

15 organic baby carrots, halved length-wise

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach

1/2 teaspoon salt

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1 cup Small Penne Pasta

1/3 cup Greek Yogurt

salt to taste

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4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 small onions, sliced length-wise

1/2 medium sized green bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks 1/2 inch long

1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks 1 inch long

10 kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise into 8 parts

salt to taste

what i did

• i pressure cooked the first 5 ingredients in 3 1/2 cups water, strained out the solid from the cooked dal and kept 1 1/3 cups of the lentil water aside.
• next i added the lentil water to a large saucepan, added 3 more cups of water to it, salted it heavily and brought the liquid to boil. then added the pasta in the boiling water and let it cook till almost all the water had evaporated.(we like our pasta a little overcooked. you can adjust the extra water depending on how cooked you like your pasta.)
• once pasta was done i transferred it to the serving bowl, added the Greek Yogurt and mixed it with the pasta.
• next in a large pan i heated the oil. added the onions, peppers and olives in it, seasoned them with salt and simmered and cooked the onions and peppers for 30 minutes.then switched of the heat and topped the prepared pasta with the cooked peppers, olives and caramelized onion and snapped ... 

and then with some mushroom-fenugreek fritters...

Recipe of the Mushroom-fenugreek fritters..

ingredients

1 1/2  tablespoons olive oil 

3 cups chopped white snow button mushrooms

1/3 cup frozen chopped fenugreek

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup rice flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup feta cheese

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water plus more if required

oil to fry

what i did

• i heated the oil in an iron skillet over medium heat, cooked the mushrooms in it until they wilted. then switched off the heat and let them cool.
• next i microved the frozen fengreek along with 1/8 cup water for 6 minutes, drained off the water completely and kept aside.
• finally i combined the remaining ingredients (except the oil for frying) to form a thick batter, added the mushrooms and fengreek in it, then heated about 1 inch of olive oil in a large pan and when the oil was hot, dropped 3-4 tablespoons  of the batter in the heated oil,  and fried it until the batter turned golden brown... 

served along with the pasta, we liked these hot !

I had actually cooked a little extra so that i could pack it for Mr MN's lunch. but we liked it enough to finish to all between the two of us  :-D 

Happy Cooking and expect more Greek inspired recipes soon.

Sharing this with

Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight @ Sumee's Culinary Bites, Cook Like a Celebrity Chef @ Food Corner,  Priya Aks event CWS-Dal Event

Monday Food:  Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands, Mop it up Monday @ I should be Mopping the Floor 

Meatless Monday: Meatless Monday @Veggie Mama's,  Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory, Just Another Meatless Monday @ Hey What's for Dinner Mom

Tuesday Food:  Hearth & Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen, Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with Grace, Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,   Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday Food: What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked Mom, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain , Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2,  Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's Network