Monday, June 25, 2012

Easy Simple Pasta Salad

In an effort to be more healthy these days, I've been making a lot at home from scratch. It's also kind of fun to experiment. Now, if I was an experienced blogger, I would have taken pictures of this salad as I made it last night, but alas, I'm sorry, I have no pictures. I promise next time I post a recipe you will have something to look at. 


This is my own recipe-ish, but it was partially inspired by my friend Debbie who always brings the most awesome food items to work for us to consume. (I blame her for about 75% of the weight I've gained in the past 5 years lol.) 


Ingredients:


  • 1 pound of pasta (I use the twisty spiral noodles and regular pasta, but you can use whatever. Whole wheat or carb free would probably still taste as good if you want to be healthier.)
  • 1-2 Cucumbers
  • 1-3 Roma tomatoes (depends on how big they are... You could also use grape or cherry tomatoes if you want to be all fancy.)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Balsalmic vinegar
  • Parmesan cheese (the grated or the powdered kind; it doesn't matter)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic powder (optional)

What I do:

  1. Cook pasta. It's better if it's a little al dente.
  2. While pasta is cooking, chop up the cucumbers and tomatoes.
  3. When pasta is done, strain and run cold water over the noodles to cool them off (about 1-2 minutes).
  4. Shake off the excess water, and pour pasta into large serving/mixing bowl.
  5. Add veggies on top.
  6. Add olive oil to taste (I start with about 2 tablespoons and add more if needed).
  7. Add balsamic vinegar to taste.
  8. Add Parmesan cheese and salt/pepper to taste, then a pinch or two of garlic powder if desired.
  9. Mix thoroughly and let chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  10. Eat it! :)
You'll probably notice that I'm not too exact with my measurements. That's because I inherited my dad's way with cooking where it's kind of just like toss in whatever until it tastes good. This is a very simple recipe that you could doctor up anyway you'd like too. Experiment with different veggies, dressings, etc. Hope you enjoy! 

Until next time,
J


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