It’s a Salad, It’s a Pasta

I have a great recipe for a main-dish salad. It’s a complete meal and is good enough to serve for a casual company dinner. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Toast a handful of pine nuts in a small skillet and set aside. Add about 1/2 package of bow-tie pasta (4 to 6 ounces) to the boiling water. Meanwhile, rinse a package of mixed baby greens. Cut 1/2 a red bell pepper into matchstick size pieces, and thinly slice a handful of fresh mushrooms. Toss the peppers and mushrooms with the greens.

Drain cooked pasta, rinse with cold water until cooled, and add to the salad mix. Toss the salad-pasta mix with low-fat balsamic vinegar dressing (to taste). Place salad-pasta mix on plates and add a handful of smoked turkey or cooked chicken breast cubes. Top with toasted pine nuts. Pour a nice glass of Merlot, slice some crusty French bread and enjoy.

PATRICE STRUZIK

Sylmar

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