Got a fabulous pasta salad recipe?

One bag of frozen four cheese tortellini, one bag of Birds Eye frozen stir fry vegies cooked together %26amp; drained. Add half a jar of Alfredo sauce. This is wonderful hot or cold.Got a fabulous pasta salad recipe?
get the pasta ready, take some AVACADOs, put them bad boys in the BLENDER. just make sure that they are not moving. a bit of VINAGER. and WALA. AVACADO SALAD!.Got a fabulous pasta salad recipe?
I like penne pasta, olives, roasted tomatoes, romaine and raddichio lettuces, a light vinagrette, and a sprinkle of parmesan.
(L)


A green salad can be one of those dishes that really sings on your plate, or it can be the ho-hum obligation that you eat because you think you should. The difference between the two is often just a matter of a few simple tips and small details. This page will give you lots tips on great green salad making. Put them to use in your kitchen and you'll soon be turning out exciting salads that your dinner guests will be talking about hours later.





Get creative with greens - gone are the days when salad meant a few leaves of wilted iceberg lettuce drizzled with a fat laden creamy dressing. Today's markets have a wide variety of salad greens. Try to use several varieties in your salads. For convenience you can buy premixed mesclun, which contains a variety of greens. You can also blend your own by going through the produce department and mixing and matching greens. Some that will add interesting flavors to the mix are the slightly bitter chicories such as endive or radicchio, peppery arugula or even mild baby spinach. Look for interesting textures and colors in your greens as well. Maybe add some frisee or curly red leaf lettuce for extra dimension.


If you bought a pre-washed mesclun mix, you won't have to worry about cleaning the greens, otherwise they should be thoroughly washed. The hardest part of this is that salad greens should also be dried before being turned into salad, otherwise they will water down the dressing. A salad spinner is a handy kitchen gadget that actually works quite well (order online or pick them up for a song any weekend at a local garage sale). Otherwise, after shaking off most of the water, you can roll the washed lettuce in paper towels to help absorb the remaining moisture.








Plan on about 2 cups of mixed greens per person.








For a slightly sweet, mild anise flavor, try adding some chopped fresh fennel bulb to your salad or use fennel as the basis of the salad itself.








You can add all kinds of other vegetables to your salads depending on your mood. I generally prefer simpler salads that allow one or two ingredients to really shine, but to each his own. Tomatoes and onions seem to be standard fare but don't forget cucumbers, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, avocado, olives, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, peas, corn, beans, etc.








Lightly steamed veggies that have been chilled also make excellent salad additions, think asparagus, green beans, broccoli or cauliflower.








While raw mushrooms are a staple of many salad recipes, I now avoid them. Mycology expert Charmoon Richardson of the Sonoma, California company ';Wild About Mushrooms'; recently taught me that raw mushrooms are slightly toxic (these elements are released during cooking).





Fruit can add a bright flavor surprise to green salads. For just a few suggestions, try adding a small amount of sliced fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries to your salad mix. Citrus fruit like orange or grapefruit slices or fresh pineapple go really well, especially with dark greens like spinach. Add tropical flavor with fruits like mango or papaya or my favorite. In fall, be sure to try my favorite salad fruit: fresh pomegranate seeds.








Try roasting vegetables on the grill or roasting them in the oven before adding to salads (you can chill first, or add them warm). This works well for onions, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms (especially portobellos), and many others.








Add grilled chicken, beef or even tofu to your salad and turn it into a meal.








Ingredients that really make a salad sing! The following ingredients are so potent in flavor, you only have to use a small amount, but they will add a distinctive, unforgettable flavor to your salads: crumbled bacon bits; crumbled hard boiled egg; crumbled strong cheeses such as blue cheese, gorgonzola, Roquefort or feta; brine cured olives such as kalamatas; toasted nuts or seeds; anchovies.








If you like toasted nuts on your salad, try sugared nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, for an even greater flavor spectrum. To make these nuts, combine 2 1/4 cups nuts with 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a heavy skillet. Cook the mixture over medium heat until the water evaporates and the nuts have a crystal, sugary appearance. Pour onto a baking sheet covered with waxed paper and immediately separate the nuts with a fork. Let cool, store in airtight container.


Mixed green salads with warm goat cheese are on the menus of countless trendy restaurants today, but it's easy to duplicate this feat at home. Simply take a log of goat cheese and slice into slices about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch thick. Lightly coat the cheese slices with either some seasoned breadcrumbs or finely chopped nuts. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and place under the boiler. Watch carefully, it takes less than a minute! Broil just until the cheese starts to melt (if you wait too long you will end up it a runny mess). Remove cheese from oven and use a wide spatula to transfer one cheese slice onto each serving plate of dressed, mixed greens.








for more details:
I use this when I want a light pasta salad.


1/2 pound spiral macaroni


2 medium cucumbers unpeeled, slice in half lengthwise and then sliced


1 green pepper diced or thinly sliced


1 medium onion thinly sliced





Cook pasta, rinse and chill. Add vegetables. Add the following dressing.


1/2 cup white sugar


1/2 cup vinegar


1 cup vegetable, canola, or safflower oil


1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley


salt and pepper to taste


Wisk ingredients together and pour over salad. Let marinate in


refrigerator for several hours or overnight so flavors meld.
This one is AWESOME!





Best Chicken Pasta Salad





INGREDIENTS:


2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves


3/4 cup steak sauce


1 (12 ounce) package fusilli pasta


2 cubes chicken bouillon


1 Vidalia onion, diced


2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced


1 cup halved cherry tomatoes


1 cup Ranch-style salad dressing





--------------------------------------鈥?br>




DIRECTIONS:


Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Place breasts into a glass baking dish and marinate in steak sauce for 15 to 60 minutes.


Grill chicken until no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove from grill, and chop into bite-size pieces.


To a large pot of boiling water, add bouillon cubes and pasta. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and rinse under cold water.


In a large bowl, combine chicken, pasta, onion, avocados and tomatoes. Mix in salad dressing, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.
The season for potluck barbecues is here and a quick and easy dish to prepare for a gathering is pesto pasta salad. Spiral pasta catches and hold the bits of basil pesto. You can dress up the pesto and pasta with any number of things; cherry tomatoes, nuts, peas, and olive tapenade is what I had on hand for this particular version, but you could also add goat cheese, slivered almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, or snow peas.








4 cups uncooked spiral pasta (use rice pasta for wheat-free version)


1 cup fresh basil pesto


2 Tbsp chopped green olives, or olive tapenade


1/4 cup pine nuts


1 cup frozen peas, defrosted (or fresh if you can get them)


12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved


Several fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped


1 Tbsp olive oil


Salt and pepper





1 Cook pasta according to instructions on the package. Make sure the water is salted (at least a half teaspoon per quart). Remove pasta from heat and strain when pasta is cooked, but still firm (al dente).





2 Put pasta in a big bowl. Mix in fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill or serve at room temperature.





Serves 6-8.