Recipes

Salads

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Farmer's Market Pasta Salad

Feel free to add or substitute ingredients to incorporate the items you find this weekend at your farmer's market.

Ingredients:

• About 8 cups cooked, drained, whole wheat blend pasta (rotini or penne)
• 1/2 cup pesto (fresh or frozen pesto from the supermarket)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup finely diced bell pepper (use yellow, red, or orange for a color contrast)
• 3 cups lightly cooked and cooled, in-season veggies (zucchini or carrot slices, broccoli or cauliflower florets, green beans, or whatever veggie looks good)
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts* (optional)

Preparation:

1. Add pasta to large serving bowl along with the pesto, diced tomato, bell pepper, and in-season vegetables. Toss to blend well.
2. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the top if desired and serve. If not serving immediately, cover well and keep refrigerated until needed.
3. *To toast pine nuts, just add to small nonstick frying pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they are lightly brown.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 370 calories, 16 g protein, 58 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 6-10 g fiber (depending on whether your pasta is partial or full whole wheat), 171 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 25%.

© 2006 Elaine Magee