Penne with Red Pepper Sauce and Broccoli

4 tblsp olive oil
11/2 cups onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup whole almonds
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups broccoli florets
1 lb dried penne pasta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup basil leaves cut into thin strips

Saut�e onions in 2 tblsp olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Lower heat a bit and add the garlic and red pepper.  Continue to saut�e, stirring often, for 15 minutes.  Chop the almonds fine (I find a coffee grinder works best).  Add the pepper-onion mixture,  chopped almonds, balsamic vinegar and the rest of the olive oil together in a food processor and blend all to a pur�e.  Add the salt, black pepper and cayenne, and blend briefly to incorporate them.
Steam the broccoli for 5 minutes.
Cook the pasta until it is just tender.  Drain.  Return to pot.
Add the red pepper sauce, the Parmesan cheese, the broccoli and the basil to the pasta.  Heat the contents over medium heat until the past is very hot.

Whole Potatoes in Spicy Yogurt Sauce (Dum Aloo)

This recipe calls for potatoes but I have made the sauce and put it on steamed broccoli and other vegetables.

12 small new red potatoes or baby white potatoes, peeled
2 tblsp vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 cup finely ground cashews
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup low fat plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prick the potatoes with a sharp knife in two or three places.  Arrange them on a baking dish and spray with vegetable oil.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until they begin to brown and become crisp.
In a large saucepan, saut�e the onions over medium high heat for 5 minutes, until they turn golden.  Add the garlic, ginger, and tumeric and saut�e for 2 minutes.  Stir in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, cardamom, chili powder, salt, ground cashews, and choped tomatoes.  Saut�e for 5 minutes.  Beat the yogurt with a wire whisk until it is smooth and creamy, and add it to the saucepan.  Stir in the baked potatoes and simmer gently, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the potatoes, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.