Monday 7 January 2019

Pasta and Vegetable Salad


I love sneaking carbs into my salads. Somehow, carbs just taste so good. So comforting. So nurturing. 

Carbs in any form, I love. Mee goreng, curry mee, fried rice, claypot rice, chee yok fun, breads, buns, cakes - you name it, I want it! So every time when I go on a carb eating frenzy, I will inevitably gain some weight and my pants start killing me. 


That's when I cut back and lay off for a while. I have learnt the hard way that the reason why I put on weight so easily is not so much because of low metabolic rate or carbs, but because I am a compulsive eater. Eating more than your body needs will lead to weight gain. Logical.

But I have this very bad habit. Especially on weekends. I eat my dinner in front of the TV (which is bad) and once I am done, my mouth gets itchy. I want to eat something else. Even though I am comfortably full.


I cannot sit still until I get that cookie or cheesecake or whatever from the fridge or that packet of salted egg yolk chips/spiced nuts from the pantry into my mouth.

Then I sit happily back on the sofa and I stuff my face. And I don't stop  (even though I feel I am bursting) until I finish whatever it is  that is sitting on my lap. That's pretty bad, isn't it?


I am trying to break that habit and I allow myself a little something, say two cookies or one slice of cake and that's it. No gorging until bursting at the seams. It is working and I did make some progress with bringing my weight down.

In order not to deprive myself of carbs, I allow for small portions here and there just to satisfy that need for comfort. Some pasta (I know you see a whole lot up there) in a salad does that for me.


For this salad I tossed together some spiral pasta, capsicum, roasted asparagus, blanched broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, sliced grilled sausage and black olives with sauteed garlic dressing

What I love about this salad is that it can be made hours ahead and you can store it in the fridge for a few days. This is a salad that keeps me very happy because in addition to all the goodness of the vegetables (and tastiness of the grilled sausage), I get to enjoy some pasta as well.

Pasta and Vegetable Salad
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :
- 2 cups uncooked spiral pasta, cooked to package instructions
- 1 sausage, grilled and sliced thinly
- 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
- 1/4 red, yellow and green capsicum, sliced
- 5 black olives, sliced
- some sauteed mushrooms
- some roasted asparagus
- some Italian parsley, finely minced to garnish
- enough Sauteed Garlic Dressing

Method :
- Put everything into a large mixing bowl and toss. Taste and add more dressing if necessary.

Note : This salad can be prepared ahead of time and can also be stored in the fridge for a few days.

38 comments:

  1. Love your pasta vegetable salad, especially with the black olives, the taste is superb! Yes, I know all about compulsive eating because I do stuff my face now and then. To prevent that, I brush my teeth at 7pm now so no more eating after teeth has been brushed! hahahaha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good idea and I have tried it. But I end up brushing my teeth twice. LOL!

      Delete
  2. Holding my breaths, I just suffered a near heart attack from EWEW's blog to hear that Ah Hong Chee had never tasted a Roasted Turkey before!!! I hope you are just kidding otherwise I must call you Aunty Jakun. Muahahahaha

    I think we both have something in common as couch potatoes who stuff their faces! I could eat all kinds of junk snacks and leftovers while watching TV for 4-5 hours on weekends. What a life!
    I had never bought spiral pastas except eating them at hotel buffets. The textured pasta in my mouth made me giggle. I must learn to make this Pasta and Vegetable Salad for healthier 2019 diet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is true. Never eaten turkey hah..hah... except for turkey ham. Oh you too are a snacking couch potato. I used to eat those big bag of Doritos in one sitting. Scary!

      Delete
  3. Like you, I love eating my meals in front of the TV. Even the non appetizing food seems tasty to me when half the brain is concentrating on the show! Yes, like you again, I want something sweet in my mouth after meals... that is why I store some Nestle drumstick in the freezer! And I think your pasta looks really good, how to reduce weight like that when you always whoop up such appetizing meals!! LOL...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hah..hah... Aiyo..Nestle drumsticks in the freezer! Please don't give me ideas! LOL!

      Delete
  4. Nice healthy food! I'm a glutton & eat every 3 hours! I've only started a bit of exercising recently cause my cholesterol level is a big high. I love snacking too! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! I thought you were those type who eat very little. Well, join the club!

      Delete
  5. Looks colorful, although I prefer my spiral pasta to be stir fried. Yes, I do eat in front of TV, that's just a 'luxury' of life!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Definitely not for those on a low carbs diet. I think I have a bit of those small, square lasagna sheets left over from my girl's attempt to cook gluten-free lasagna. Maybe I can try using that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard to go low carb. I get cravings and then boom! I binge. LOL!

      Delete
  7. Dont baked and dont buy which is easy to grab and easy go into mouth, lol., just kidding.
    But your salad does gave me idea,but what can i use istead of soouted garlic dressing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betul tu! LOL! I just love to eat lah. You can use the ready made Kewpie roasted sesame dressing or even lime juice dressing macam yang buat kerabu also can.

      Delete
    2. Lime juice? Masamlah..ke the sambal pedas? Then tukar nama: kerabu pasta salad, wakaka..

      Delete
    3. hah..hah.. boleh juga jadikan kerabu. The lime juice, you add some sugar and salt.

      Delete
  8. These pasta salad looks great to me.Luckily I don't have much time to sit in front of TV. Weekdays I am working, evening I will go for my workout. Weekends, I do ironing when the TV is on, when I sit in front of TV, my hands are busy browsing my phone. However, I snack too, I snack on fruit instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No wonder Yannie is so slim and can maintain the nice figure!

      Delete
  9. I have never tried spiral pastas before and wonder how is the texture like in our mouths. You are right, carbs bring comfort, i love carbs too and i am hungry every 5 hours muahaha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! The texture is nice, a bit soft and chewy.

      Delete
  10. I too love to snack. I like your pasta and vegetable salad bowl! Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chinese New Year is coming which means there will be lots of snacks around! Help! LOL!

      Delete
  11. I share the same predicament you're going through...who isn't a couch potato at some time in point! ;) Luckily I have no frozen cookies or cakes in my fridge...kekeke! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hee..hee... I am so glad to learn that I am not alone! It's the ultimate relaxation for me to just sit back, enjoy my show and food at the same time.

      Delete
  12. i'd like to invite you to join me at UGA - the Undisciplined Gluttons Association ... i'm a senior lifetime member at this point! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I qualify as president. wahahahaha!!!!

      Delete
  13. oooh gosh the menu looks so inviting =D

    ReplyDelete
  14. I need carbssssss to complement my training so I'm the absolute opposite of you. Hehehe

    Those pasta & vege salad look absolutely scrumptious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes to do! You are qualified to eat all the carbs and please enjoy!

      Delete
  15. This looks super delicious and easy to make
    thanks for share this recipe darling
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sorry to say but I never order or even make a pasta salad. I must make it one of these days.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm totally in your shoes! Always mouth itchy even though I had a very full dinner just about an hour ago >_<

    ReplyDelete