Creamy Pasta And Vegetable Salad

We are starting second wee of Blogging Marathon. This week I am going to cook three Italian vegetarian dinner recipes. I usually make pasta with lots of vegetables and arrabiata  or white sauce. Apart from that this creamy salad is my all time favorite. This salad is a perfect meal when you want to take a light meal with a slice of bread. I keep on changing the vegetables for this recipe today I used broccoli, tomato and carrot. But you can add any other vegetables like capsicum green, red and yellow to make this salad more colorful. And also can add roasted mushrooms and olives.  I used vinegar and olive oil but you have balsamic vinaigrette dressing in hand can use that so let's check my version of pasta salad.... 
INGREDIENTS:---
Farfalle (bow tie past) ----  400 gms 
Olive oil   ----   3 tea sp and two tea sp olive oil for cooking the pasta
vinegar   ----   1 tea sp
Mayonnaise ---  1/4 cup
Sugar   ----   1 tab sp
Freshly ground black pepper  ---  1/2 tea sp
Salt    ----   1/2 tea sp
Italian seasoning  ----   1 tea sp
Tomato   ----  2 bid cut in to cubes
Broccoli   ---  one medium size flower cut in to small flowers
Carrots  ---  2 medium cut in to bite size rounds
Salt to taste
Grated parmesan cheese
METHOD:----
1. Boil water in a large pot with salt and a tea sp of olive oil in a medium heat, bring to a full boil then add pasta.
2. Cook pasta  for 12 minutes or according to package instructions.
3. Switch off the heat and drain all the water and sprinkle a tea sp of olive and pour cold water on top of the pasta and leave it a side. 
4. While the pasta is cooking in a big mixing bowl whisk vinegar, 3 tea sp of olive oil, sugar, ground black pepper, mayonnaise, and Italian seasoning and whisk well to combine well.
5. Now take pasta and all the vegetables in a big mixing bowl, pour the dressing over the salad add salt to taste toss well to combine every thing well.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese again toss lightly and serve.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#54

Mango And Apple Salad

It's already middle of the summer!!! in this sizzling summer I don't feel like eating a heavy lunch. Fruit or vegetable salads are always my choice. This yogurt dressing salads are really my favorites with any fruits I can enjoy them. Actually I wanted to post a recipe like mango rasam or mango rice in this theme for final post. I was little busy with my personal work so couldn't make it. Finally decided to post what I have for my lunch to day.
                                                         This is a simple fruit salad but very filling, that you can serve as a meal in your diet plan or as a dessert. I used low fat curd (yogurt, I removed the cream from milk and made curd with that milk) and honey with cinnamon powder for dressing. That gives a rich and delicious flavor to the salad..

Let's check the recipe....
INGREDIENTS:----- 
For dressing:----
 yogurt --- 1 cup
Honey 1 tab sp
Cinnamon powder  --- 1/2 tea sp
For salad:----
Apple --- 1 cut in to small cubes
Mango --- 1 cup small cubes
Walnuts – chopped 1 tab sp
You can use any other fruits you like 
METHOD:---
1. Take both fruits in a mixing bowl, Mix yogurt, honey and cinnamon powder mix well and add to the fruit pieces.
2. Mix well and top with chopped walnuts and serve chilled
Let's check the Blogging Marathon page

Watermelon And Grape Salad

This Southern Africa based wonderful fruit is my favorite. I like to eat this any time of the day because it's good for health. And this is the best fruit to consume in hot summer to avoid heat. because of it's water content is very high 92% and rich in Vitamin C also. Watermelon, a fruit that helps to remain hydrated during summer with a coolant effect to your body.  So let's check this sweet and refreshing salad which is perfect for this hot summer.
INGREDIENTS:--
Watermelon cubes  ----  2 cups remove the seeds
Red grapes or green grapes  ----  1/2 cup
Lemon juice ---- from one lemon
Honey  ---   2 tab sp
salt a pinch
Pepper powder --- 1/4 tea sp
METHOD:--
1. Mix honey, lemon juice, salt, pepper powder in a bowl.
2. Take watermelon cubes and grapes pour the dressing over the fruits toss well to coat the dressing and serve.
This is my third post Under the theme of SALADS/SOUPS in Blogging Marathon 26th edition check the other BM members post s here
 

Apple ColeSlaw

Coleslaw is originally a cabbage salad dressed with mayonnaise or buttermilk, but in some times cream or sour cream also can beused in the place of mayonnaise. The traditional Coleslaw (in Netherlands, German) is made with Shredded raw cabbage and dressed with mayonnaise or buttermilk and a small dash of  vinegar. In other variations other vegetables  like onions, radishes, peppers and carrots, sweet corn broccoli and fruits like apple and pineapple can also be used in this salad. Generally coleslaw is eaten as a side dish but the dish comes under the category of salads. This salad is one of my favorite salad,I like to have this with sliced  bread, like place the salad in between two slices of bread like a sandwich. This slaw sandwich will be a perfect breakfast for me with a cup of green tea, or I can have this with roti for lunch. If you are in diet use sour cream(low fat) or hung curd(which is made by skimmed milk) for dressing.

                                                      26th edition of Blogging Marathon, this month I missed my first week Theme. Because of some personal issues and this is the second week. For second week I took Salads/ soups as my theme. It's very hot here looks like already summer started. I prefer to have more salads in summer, because salads  make your body cool in the hot weather. So here is my first recipe for my salads theme in the second week of the  Blogging Marathon.
APPLE COLESLAW:-
INGREDIENTS:--
Red apples --- 2 cored and finely chopped
Sweet corn crenls  ----  1 cup
White cabbage  ---  1/2 cup finely chopped
Lettuce  --- few leaves broken in to small pieces
Olives   ----- 1 tab sp chopped
yogurt   ----- 1 cup (hung ed or you can use Greek yogurt)
Salt   to taste
Black pepper   ---  1 tea sp
Fresh lemon juice  ---  2 tab sp
Dijon Mustard  --- 1 tea sp (optional)
METHOD:---
1. Take chopped apple, cabbage, sweet corn, lettuce olives in a mixing bowl set a side.
2. In another bowl whisk yogurt,lemon juice, mustard(if using),pepper and salt to combine the ingredients well.
3. Pour this dressing over the vegetables and toss to cote the dressing over vegetables taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.
This is my first post Under the theme of SALADS/SOUPS in Blogging Marathon 26th edition check the other BM members post s here
 

Mixed Vegetable And Olive Salad

Today's my salad is with crunchy vegetables and olives. I don't know why i like the flavor of olives in my salads so that i use a lot of olives in my salads. Actually i wanted to post Greek salad for today's post. I have every thing except feta cheese and Kalamata olives, I couldn't compromise. Greek salad is a traditional summer salad in Greek cuisine so i don't want to change the traditional recipe any way. I scratch my head for long time for today s salad recipe, because i planed for Greek salad and that idea was failed and i have to change my mind in the last movement. Finely some how i got this idea of mixing vegetables with olives. Believe me this salad is very refreshing and i like the taste too. Hope you all like this......

INGREDIENTS:---
Carrot's --- 2 grated or cut in to long strips
Cucumber  ---  2 cut in to small bite size pieces
Cabbage  --- 1 cup cut in to small pieces
Capsicum  --- 1 cut in to small pieces
Lettuce  -- 6 leaves broke in to small pieces
Raisins   --- 2 tab sp Soaked in water for 10 minutes then drain the water.
Olives   ----  1/4 cup remove seeds, cut in to rounds ( green and black both you can use in this but i have only green so i used only green olives)
For dressing:---
Olive oil  --- 1 tab sp
Lemon juice   -- 1 tab sp
Black pepper  --- 1 tea sp crushed
Salt to taste

METHOD:--
1. In a big mixing bowl mix all dressing ingredients and whisk well to conbine every thing.
2. Add all vegetable pieces, raisins to dressing and give a good toss.
3. Add olive pieces to salad and mix well gently and leave it in the fridge for 1 hour then serve chilled  with bread or roti.
You can use this salad as sandwich filling or a kati roll filling good idea no:).
This is my third recipe in the second week with the theme of Summer Salads for blogging marathon 17 th edition At Vallis spice your life lets check blogging marathon page .
This is my entry for Krithis Serve it -Raw event by Denny

Green apple and cucumber salad

Sunday means waking  up late in the morning  have a heavy breakfast, this is the time table for us almost every Sunday. Like every Sunday we wake up late in the morning, we have Pesarattu- upma and Allam chutney with coffee for break fast. This is a quite a heavy breakfast so we want to do some work to digest that heavy breakfast. So i changed mud from my pots and put some new plants and cleaned the place where i kept the pots. Still we are not hungry we went out for our week end shopping to by vegetables and other stuff.
                                                                       When i enter the vegetable and fruit shop this green apples said welcome to me i was very happy to see this green fresh apples and i picked some. That time i didn't have this salad idea in my mind. when we come back home, Feeling little hungry so my husband surprisingly asked me to make a salad and some drink. Then i thought of making green apple salad with mango badam milk (recipe coming up). I didn't have any idea what dressing i am going to add to this salad. I just added what i have in my ketchen and what i like, even vegetables and fruits what i brought from the market i used them in this salad. And the salad came out really so delicious. From now this is going to be one of my favorite salads. That crunchy vegetables and fruits make you very refreshing. Like me hope you also like my salad.
Lets check how i made this green, crunchy salad...
INGREDIENTS:--
Green Apples  -- 2 cut in to bite size pieces
Red apple   --- 1 cut in to bite size pieces
Cucumber  --- 2 cut in to bite size pieces
Green bell pepper  -- 1 big cut in to bite size pieces
Lettuce  --      8 leaves break them in to small pieces
For Dressing:--
Honey -- 1 tab sp
Olive oil  --- 1 tab sp
Lemon juice  -- 1 tab sp +1 tea sp
Red chilli flakes -- 1 tea sp
Salt a pinch
METHOD: --
1. Cut apples in to bite size pieces apply 1 tea sp lemon juice set a side then cut the other vegetables because apple changes it's color if you cut and leave it like that.
2. Mix all dressing ingredients in a big mixing bowl and whisk well to combine every thing.
3. Now add fruit and vegetable pieces to the dressing and mix gently to coat the dressing over the vegetable and fruit pieces.
Serve immediately.
This is my second recipe in the second week with the theme of Summer Salads for blogging marathon 17 th edition At Vallis spice your life lets check blogging marathon page .
This is my entry for Krithis Serve it -Raw event by Denny .

Papaya and Melon Salad

I like to have Salad as my meal for a day... yes Salads are my favorite. Once upon a time salads are consider as a diet food, which is low fat and taste less. Even today i know many people still thinking like that (my husband is one among them he don't like salads). But to day salads are among the ultimate health food. They can contain an exciting verity of colorful ingredients like fresh fruits and vegetables. And delicious ingredients like cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, honey mayonnaise. Only thing you have to find out which combination will go with the ingredients, in my view this is an art. I believe that a simple and fresh salad help you to take the stress out. in salads there is a wide verity of dishes in that array fruit salads are generally served as dessert salads with whipped cream, gelatin and honey dressing. today i am going to share with you a fruit salad which is very healthy refreshing and energy giving one. Here i go with the recipe....
In this recipe i used fresh cherry s, today morning i saw fresh Cherry's in the market I couldn't stop my self  buying them, i picked some of them so i add them to my salad. You can replace them with black or green grapes. But don't use any caned fruits they don't give fresh flavor to the salad.
INGREDIENTS:---
 Cantaloupe ( muskmelon or rock melon, Karbuja)  -- 1 small peel and cut in to bite size pieces
Papaya  ----   1 small peel and cut in to bite size pieces.
Raisins  -- 1/4 cup means 50 gms
Cherries --- 10 or grapes 10
For dressing:--
Ginger  -- 1/2 inch piece finely chopped or you can use a tea sp of fresh ginger juice
Honey --- 1 tab sp
Lemon juice  -- 1 tab sp
Few mint leaves for garnishing
METHOD:--
1. In a bowl mix dressing ingredients mix well.
2. Add fruits pieces to the dressing keep a side few cherries to garnish, toss well.
3. Serve chilled garnished with cherries and mint leaves.
This is my first recipe in the second week with the theme of Summer Salads for blogging marathon 17 th edition At Vallis spice your life lets check blogging marathon page .

POACHED EGGPLANT SALAD

Eggplants are considered as a low calore vegetable Eggplant is effective in the treatment of high blood cholesterol.Normally how I make eggplant salad is grild and mixed with other vegetables like capsicum.This is a different recipe which gives a great taste to the salad.Parsely gives a beautiful flavour to this salad and I enjoyed it with roti....

Recipe source -- Tobiascooks.com
INGREDIENTS:---
Eggplants --- 2 large cut in to small cubes
Garlic -- 2 cloves crushed
Vinegar -- 2 tab sp
Parsley -- 1 cup finely chopped(nearly 100 g)
Green chillies -- 2 or accor ding to your taste
Salt --- 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste
Olive oil -- 2 tab sp
METHOD:---
1.Add half salt to eggplant cubes and leave a side for half an hour
2. Heat water in a sauce pan bring to full boil then add eggplant cubes and cook for 3 minutes.
3.Remove from heat and drain all the water well and keep a side
4. Blend parsley,garlic.green chillies,remaining salt,vinegar and olive oil and blend in to a fine paste.
5.Add this parsley sesoning to eggplant cubes mix gently, cover and leave it like that for couple of hours and serve.
This salad goes to Prathibha s only salads event and event started by Pari

SPROUTED MUNG AND MANGO SALAD

Sprouted mung beans are popular alternative to meat for vegetarians. Sprouted mung beans are hign in Potassium,Calcium.Iron, Fiber,Magnesium and B vitamins.Sprouted mung beans are excellent diet food because 1 cup of sprouted mung beans contain less then 30 calories but high in protein, only 2 grams of fat and very rich sorce of dietary fiber and they are very easily digestible. They do not generally create abdominal gas or bloating. This fiber and vitamin rich little sprouted beans can be eaten on their own or combine with rice to make Khichari or mix with vegetables and greens to make healthy soups or make a paste with sprouted mung beans to make delicious crepes or mix with seasonal fruits and nuts to make healthy salads. So sprouted mung beans are one of the most recomended food for the people who are in weight loss diet. Instead of having idlis and dosa s for break fast 1 cup of sprouted mung beans with any seasonal fruit will be a very good choice for weight loss diet and now it is the Mango season in India so here is a very simple salad for this hot summer break fast.
INGREDIENTS:----
Mango --- 1 big ripe
Sprouted mung beans -- 1 cup 250 ml or 200 g
Honey -- 1tab sp (if required)
Black pepper powder --- 1/4 teasp
Cinamon powder --- 1/4 tea sp
METHOD:----
1. Peal and cut the mango in to bite size pieces
2. combine all above ingredients in a salad mixing bowl
Serve immediately.
If you like to have this salad chilled then leave it in the fridge for 1 hour before you serve but this won't stay crisp for long time in the fridge, mango pieces will become soft.
Check my POMEGRANATE& MOONG SPROUTS SALAD

SWEET CORN AND VEGETABLE SALAD WITH ITALIAN DRESSING

Like any other words in cooking language SALAD also came from French word 'Salade' of the same meaning,which is originally came from a Latin word 'Salata' means vegetables seasoned with salt,pepper powder ,some herbs and olive oil or any salad oil. Vegetables seasoned with brine was a popular Roman dish (Brine is a saturated water which is comonly used in preserving vegetables,meat.fish and some cheese like Feta cheese.). Salad is often served as an appetizer before a meal but also some times served as a side dish or a main course. Now a days 99%people are health-conscious so they don't like high calories in their every day meal ,due to their low calorie density these salads became a main course in their every day meal.most of the people like salads with lots of green leafy vegetables, vegetables, lentils,meat and seafood also. After the vegetables the main ingredient in this salads is dressing many light edible oils, vinaigrettes , mayonnaise are used in this salad dressing but my personal favorite is olive oil with some italian herbs and lemon juice.And to day I am here with a simple salad with Italian dressing and the recipe is like this.................
INGREDIENTS:----
Sweet corn -- 1 cup
Carrot -- 1 cup chopped
Olives -- 1/4 cup chopped
Red bell pepper -- 1 chopped
Green bell pepper -- 1 chopped
Zucchini -- 1 chopped
FOR DRESSING:---
Extra-virgin olive oil -- 1 tab sp
Freshly ground black pepper -- 1/4 tea sp
Lemon juice --- 1 tab sp (optional)
Salt to taste
Basil -- 4-5 leaves chopped
Dry Italian hearbs -- 1 tea sp
salt to taste
METHOD:---
Mix all dressing ingredients in a small jar or bottle and shake well(or you can take this in to a big mixing bowl and wisk well) and leave a side.
Mix all vegetables in a mixing bowl and pour the dressing on top of the vegetables and now toss well to coat evenly .
Garnish with lots of carrot juliennes
Enjoy your salad with brown bread..
If you like you can add boiled and chopped chicken to this salad.

FRUIT SALAD WITH FRUIT YOGURT DRESSING

It's already middle of the summer in U.A.E. In this sizzling summer I don't feel like eating a heavy lunch. Fruit or vegetable salads are always my choice. This yogurt dressing salads are really my favorites with any fruits I can enjoy them. In one bowl of this yogurt fruit salad you can have nearly 75 calories (I am not very much sure) and that is more then enough for your body and carbohydrates are very low and vitamin c from grapes, mango, apple, banana and calcium from all fruits and almost 3 g of fiber from all fruits and rich in protein too. So what do you say isn't it a complete and healthy meal. I think so…………
And here is the recipe……………

INGREDIENTS:-----
For dressing:----
Fat free yogurt --- 1 cup
Strawberry s --- 3 chopped
Orange zest (peel) grated --- 1 tea sp
Orange juice --- 1 tab sp fresh
Honey 1 tab sp (optional)
For salad:----
Apple --- 1 cut in to small cubes
Mango --- 1 cup small cubes
Green grapes – 1/2 cup cut in to half (seed less
Or you can use any seed less grapes)
Banana – 1 no. cut in to small pieces (peel cut and add banana just before serving otherwise it will turn black and mushy. The banana can hold the salad for about 10 min.)
Walnuts – chopped 1 tab sp
You can use any other fruits you like

For yogurt dressing:---
1. Make strawberry pulp in a blender and pour in to a mixing bowl and add yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, honey and mix well till all ingredients are well combine, keep this dressing in fridge for 10 min.
How to combine salad:---
1. In the same time you can chop all frits
2. Now take all fruits in a mixing bowl and pour fruit yogurt on it and combine well to coat the dressing on all fruit pieces.
3. Spoon out the salad in to serving bowls and top with a tab sp of fruit yogurt and walnuts and serve chilled.
You can use any berry s for fruit yogurt dressing and banana and mango also give a great taste.
This is my one more entry for Mahimaa s 15 minute cooking event at Indian vegetarian kitchen.

CHICKPEA AND TOMATO SALAD

Dried chick peas -- 1/2 cup

Red cherry tomatoes --- 6

Red onion --- 1 small thinly sliced

Basil leaves --- handfull torn

A few lettuce leaves torn

FOR DRESSING:----

Green chilli --- 1 deseeded and chopped finely (if you don't like just don't add greenchilli)

Garlic ---- 1 clove crushed and chopped finely

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Olive oil --- 1 tab sp

Salt to taste

pepper powder to taste

METHOD :----

Soak chick peas for over night and cook the in apressure cooker for 3 whistles.remove fro heat and let it cool .

cut tomatoes in to 4 pieces

Now put chilli (if useing), garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper powder, salt to taste in a screwtop jar and shake well. taste and add more lemon juice or oil if necessary.

now add the tomatoes, onion,and basil leaves, to the chick peas and mix gently

Pour over the dressing and mix again, arrange on a bed of lettuce and serve

Serve with crusty bread.

enjoy your fresh salad

You can also add sliced cucumber and carrot to this.

NUTTY BEETROOT SALAD

oohhh this is also one more MAGNIFICENT CLICK for Gayathri from me

INGREDIENTS:----
Fruit vinegar ---- 1 tab sp
Beetroot cooked and greated --- 1 no.
Apple ---- 1 small or 1/2
Lemon juice ---- 1 tab sp
Pecans and walnuts ---- 4 tab sp to garnish
FOR DRESSING:-----
Yogurt --- 1 tab sp
Mayonnaise ---- 1 tab sp
Garlic --- 1 clove crushed and chopped
Parsley --- finely chopped 1 tab sp
If you like you can add fresh mixed salad leaves to this they will give more crunchy ness to the salad.



METHOD:-----
Sprinkle vinegar over the beetroot mix well and cover and leave it in the fridge for atleast 4 hours.
Core and slice the apples,place them in a dish and sprinkle lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Remove the beetroot from the fridge and add dressing, apple and mix gently to coat with the salad dressing.
TO SERVE arrange handfull of salad leaves in a bowl or a plate and top with a large spoonfull of the apple and beet root mixture.
Now toast the pecans and wal nuts in a dry fry pan over a medium heat for 2 min. or till they become brown and sprinkle over beetroot and apple salad to garnish.
Serve with any bread or roti
I enjoyed this salad with 1 plain roti.

RED BEANS AND CORN SALAD

Legumes are a powerhouse food and an almost perfect food too.they contain Protein, High energy -yielding carbohydrates, fiber, folate, Iron, potassium, and even calciun. Legumes are classified as a meat alternative because like meat, they contain a high amount of protein, but no fat and no cholesterol(remember red meat contain fat)

Legumes contain 2 types of fiber, they contain soluble fiber which helps to lower our cholesterol levels,they also contain insoluble fiber which increases bulk to the waste product in our large intestine(just few days back i read in a book that a meal with beans might decrease some fat taken during the same meal).In half cup of beans contains only 80 calories so I think we can't go wrong with that.in half cup of beans also average 7-10 gms fiber with 3gms of Iron, so....... let us start adding beans in our meal several times in a week haaahha any way here I am with my recipe..............................

INGREDIENTS:----

Red beans --- 1 cup

cooked sweet corn ---- 3/4 cup

Garlic --- 2 cloves crushed

Onion --- chopped 1 small

Tomato --- 1 small chopped

Coriander leaves --- 1 tab sp chopped

Olive oil --- 1 tab sp

hot chilli sauce --- 1/2 tea sp

Salt to taste

pepper to taste

METHOD:-----

soak dry red beans in water for overnight and cook till become soft and remove water ( store this water can use this water for making rasam )

Mix all above ingredients in a salad mixing bowl and leave it for 1 hour before serving.

this will go wery well with corn bread

Enjoy your meal.

This ismy entry for SRIVALLI S Legume -love -affair at -----cooking4allseasons.started by Susan

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SALAD

Apple – 1
Pine apple pieces -1/2 cup
Green apple – 1
Banana- 1
Pomegranate seeds – 1/2 cup
Carrot – 1
Cucumber- 1
Cut all fruits and vegetables in to small bite size pieces you can use any other fruits like grapes, pears, mangoes, papaya even orange also
For dressing whisk to gather in a big bowl
1/4 cup – low fat mayonnaise
1tab sp – mustard powder
1tab sp – lemon juice
1tab sp – honey
Crushed walnuts – 1tab sp
Raisins – 10-15
Cinnamon powder – a pinch
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl make sure they combine very well then add fruit and vegetable pieces mix gently add crushed walnuts and raisins mix well once again sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon powder on top and serve chilled
Instead of using mayonnaise you can use cream
Or you can use a mixture same proportions of cream, cheese, and yoghurt mix well and use in the place of mayonnaise you can use this mixture as a egg less mayonnaise

http://www.archanaskitchen.com/2008/events/one-d-one-dish-meal-salads/

POMEGRANATE & MOONG SPROUTS SALAD

1 cup – pomegranate seeds
1 cup – moong sprouts
A few cucumber slices
For honey and ginger dressing:-
1 inch piece greated ginger
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tab sp lemon juice
1 tab sp – olive oil
1 tab sp honey
Pepper and salt to taste
Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bottle shake well to mix all ingredients together
Mix moong sprouts and pomegranate seeds in a bowl and pour the dressing over it combine well together and serve chill
You can add other fruits like orange apple and vegetables like cucumber and bell peppers

http://www.archanaskitchen.com/2008/events/one-d-one-dish-meal-salads/

RAW VEGETABLES WITH OLIVE OIL DIP

Use a combination of any fresh seasonal vegetables for this color full antipasto from Rome, The dip usually consists only olive oil and salt but I used some chopped olives also to give this dip more Italian touch and also black pepper and chopped parsley also. The vegetables should be raw or lightly Blanched, you can use this dip as a salad dressing also
You can use any vegetables like fennel, Carrot, celery, radishes tomato here I use what I have in my hand
1 large-carrot
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
5-6-green beans
Small -broccoli
Small- cauliflower
For dip:-
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
3 teb sp-lemon juice (optional)
4 leaves basil
A few strings fresh or dry parsley chopped
10 green or black olives very finely chopped
METHOD:-
Prepare vegetables by slicing the carrots green pepper and yellow peppers and beans peel the stems of broccoli and cut broccoli and cauliflower in to florets if you want to blanch them blanch for 5min. don't over cook the vegetables
Cut tomatoes in sections if using
Arrange vegetables in a large platter leaving a space in the center for the dip
Make dip pouring olive oil in a small bowl add salt, pepper, chopped olives, chopped basil and parsley leaves stir in the lemon juice mix well and place the bowl in the center of vegetables

I have adopted this recipe from one Italian cook book,I tryed and tasted it I love the recipe so I want to share this with my viewers and I made some veriations also .

PASTA SALAD

Puglia in southern Italy, specialize in imaginative pasta and vegetables combinations. using vegetables cooking in water and boiling pasta and mix with vegetables will give a more of vegetable 's flavor and garlic and olive oil gives a very traditional Italian flavor and the recipe is here
INGREDIENTS:-Maze penne frigate tricolor pasta
This pasta is tinted with tomato and spinach to produce Italy's favorite colors.
Carrot-1 cut in to 2inch pieces
Broccoli-1small-cut in to2 inch pieces
Peppers-red green-cut in to long strips both 1/2 cup
FOR Dressing:-
1tebsp-extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2tebsp-blasamic or wine vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper
METHOD:-
Peel the stems of the broccoli starting from the base and pulling up towards the floaters discard the woody parts of the stems in to 2 inch pieces
Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Drop in the broccoli and carrot and boil barely tender, about 5-8 min. and remove the vegetables from the pan to a serving bowl do not discard the cooking water.
Add salt to the vegetable cooking water. Bring it back to a boil drop in the pasta stir well and cook till it is done drain water and add pasta to vegetables mix peppers to this, mix all vegetables and pasta in a large bowl.
Mix dressing ingredients in a small cup.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well taste for seasoning
And it is ready to serve