Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Summer Pasta Vegetable Salad

Summer Pasta Vegetable Salad - a tasty mix of Pasta and vegetables dressed in a wonderful herb vinaigrette dressing. I love 'lightening up' a pasta salad with vegetables and combining this with my favorite herb dressing.

 1 lb Pasta (screws, bow tie, shells etc.) cooked in salted water
1 Cup Broccoli tops cut into small pieces
1 Cup Cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, cut into chunks
1 Cup Mushroom sliced
1 Cup Carrot Shredded
1 Can Garbanzo Beans, drained
1/2 cup Onion rough chopped
1/2 Cup Sliced Radishes

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta to the water until cooked. Drain the pasta and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process. While the pasta is cooking, make good use of your time by cutting up the vegetables.
Mix the cold pasta and vegetables, I like to put about 1/4 cup dressing on the salad to keep the pasta from sticking together, then add the remainder of the dressing to the salad just before serving and toss.

Dressing
This dressing is equally at home on a green salad as it is on a pasta salad. It can be quickly made and used immediately, but comes to full flavor if left to sit overnight. It can also be used as a marinade for Chicken, Beef, Pork, and Sea Food.

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp dried Sweet Basil
1 tsp dried Dill Weed
1 tsp water
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Honey
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne Pepper
1 large or 4 small cloves of Garlic, pressed
Combine all ingredients, shake well before using.

For Taste Sake
 The Onions can be Red, Green, Shallot
Additional items to add:
   Olives (Green or Black)
   Tomatoes Grape, sweet 100's or sliced
   Beans Kidney, Cannellini, Butter
   Sweet Bell Peppers












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