MY BIG FAT GREEK VEGGIE PASTA

I love Feta cheese. I never used to be so keen but after spending time in Rhodes a couple of years ago and tasting the real stuff I fell in love. Now I try and include it whenever cheese is called for in a recipe. Whats great is that you can get some really cheap versions in supermarkets and compared to other cheeses, a small amount is less fattening so it's a good choice if your missing cheese on your diet.

This veggie pasta recipe is great if you want to treat yourself just a little smidge! A bit of time needed for prep which you can do in advance if you like and once its done you can knock this one out in about 15 minutes tops which is great if you don't want to spend all evening in the kitchen!

My recipe is once again veggie friendly so I use Quorn chicken pieces. I can't really think of a meat that would work in the dish but if you have any ideas feel free to experiment otherwise it's equally delicious sans protein. You can use any pasta you like too but I would advise you use something hollow like Cavatappi or Penne so that it scoops up little bits of the feta or you get lovely bursts of cheese as you bite through the pasta!

GREEK VEGGIE PASTA (serves 4)

180g Pasta

1 Medium Broccoli Cut Into Florets

1 Diced Red Onion

150g Quorn Chicken Pieces

1 Red Chili (De-Seeded And Finely Diced)

1 Grated Clove Of Garlic

Pepper To Season

100g Feta Cheese

1. Cook up your pasta as per the cooking instructions. Drain and leave to one side to cool.
2. Place the broccoli in a boiling pan and boil for three minutes so they are just cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them cooking further and leave this to one side too.
3. In a oiled pan on a medium heat throw in the red onion and Quorn pieces and fry for around 5 minutes until the onions have just started to go soft.
   
4. Throw in the chili,garlic and pepper (no salt - the feta has enough) and fry for a further minutes, stirring everything together as you go.
5. Throw in the broccoli for fry for 1 minute before adding the pasta and mix everything together for a minute or two so the pasta has a bit of heat to it.
6. Crumble in the feta cheese slowly, mixing as you go. The cheese should start melting and coat the pasta. Break up any large pieces with your spoon as you go. Once all the pasta is coated in melted feta, take off the heat and serve.

As you eat you'll get fresh bursts of the chili cutting through the salty feta which has been sucked up by the pasta. Yum! This pasta is great now that the sunny weather is starting to appear - try it as a side dish at a BBQ or devour a whole bowl to yourself! 

Go On!!! You know you want too!

Kalí̱ órexi̱!