Pasta Salad Improved-Lemon Bacon Pasta Salad

This is the second part of my 2-part pasta salad postings.  ;-)  You can find my first posting here.  This one has so much flavor and it's unexpected.  You really could add other ingredients to this, just consider this the base recipe.

Salad

12 oz. pkg. short pasta
1 Cup peas, frozen
8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain & cool.
2.  Add remaining ingredients to a bowl.
3.  Add the pasta to the other ingredients and mix together.

Dressing

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1.  Mix all ingredients together in a food processor.
2.  Add dressing to the salad and mix together.

Pasta Salad Improved- Fiesta Pasta Salad

I have been cooking a lot more than usual lately and I have found some great recipes that I have adapted and absolutely love.  I don't want to forget them and I also want to share these recipes with others because they are so great!  So, I'll be posting a series here over the next few days (or weeks, if I'm being realistic) of some of the things I have made lately that turned out to be better than just a regular 'ol dish.

The first two are pasta salads.  We have had a lot of pot lucks to go to lately, considering it's summer now and I'm always scrambling at the last minute to try to find a good food item to bring.  Normally, pasta salads are just "ok".  They're what I would call "filler" food.  People just make them to add an extra dish to the entree, but they're usually pretty flavorless.  Well, I have found two pasta salad recipes and now I will never need another.  They are SO tasty!  Neither of them contain mayonnaise, so they are fine to serve in the hot weather at a potluck.

The first one is a mexican version.  Just a fair warning, this makes a HUGE batch.  Enjoy!

Salad

1 (1 lb.) pkg. pasta (I usually use bowtie, but any short pasta would work)

1/4 cup or 1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 pkg. corn, frozen
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 Cups cheddar cheese, grated
salt to taste

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and cool.
2.  Add all of the other ingredients to a (very) large bowl.
3.  Add the pasta to the other ingredients and mix together.

Dressing

1 Cup plain greek yogurt
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup buttermilk
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Fiesta Dip Mix (if you can't find that, here is a recipe for a mexican seasoning you could use instead).

1.  Mix all ingredients together with a wisk until completely combined.
2.  Add dressing to the salad and mix together.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  Serve with Frito corn chips on top.  Delicious!

I have posted my other favorite pasta salad recipe here.

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

I wanted to post a couple of leftover recipes. I really have a hard time with leftovers and can only eat them if they are completely transformed into something that doesn't resemble what they were originally. This is one of my favorite things to do with leftover spaghetti noodles. In fact, I usually try to make extra pasta just to make sure we have enough left over to make this. It could not be any easier.

Cooked Spaghetti

Tomatoes, chopped

Cucumber, chopped

Can of sliced Olives

Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

Salad Supreme

Combine all ingredients in whatever quantities desired. Serve warm or cold.

Gazpacho

I have always loved Gazpacho and there are tons of recipes out there for it, but this one is official. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Kaleena. Her family is from Spain and this is the recipe her Grandma makes. If you don't know what Gazpacho is, it's a cold soup that tastes similar to salsa. There aren't exact measurements, so you just have to do it to taste, but with the delicious ingredients in here it wouldn't matter what the ratio's were, it would still taste good.

2 Medium Tomatoes
1/4 Green Pepper
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 Clove Garlic
1 Serving of hard French Bread, soaked in water
2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2-3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
Water to your thickness

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve in a bowl or cup.

Frog Eye Salad

This is a common dish (at least it is around here), but I really love this recipe and make this often in the summer, especially when I need to bring a dish for a party. It feeds a ton of people and the leftovers are great.

1 Box Acini de Pepe (in the pasta section of the grocery store)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Rinse and cool.

1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
2 Cups Pineapple Juice
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

3. While pasta is cooking, combine above ingredients, cook until thickened and let cool.
4. Pour sauce over pasta and store in fridge overnight.

2 Cups Mandarin Oranges
2 Cans (20 oz.) Pineapple Tidbits
1 Can Crushed Pineapple
2 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
2 Cups Mini Marshmallows

5. In the morning, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

In this picture I just garnished it with some clementines.

Broccoli Salad

This is great for summer too, because you can use up all your vegetables. You could throw extra vegetables in because it would taste great with any combination.

Tops off 4 bundles of Broccoli, cut to desired size
2 Carrots, Chopped
1 Bunch Green Onion
2 Cups Celery, Chopped
1 Cup Craisins
4 Tablespoons Bacon or Bacon Bits
1 Cup Honey Roasted Peanuts (optional)

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl, set aside.

Dressing:
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Curry

2. Mix dressing to taste, pour over salad and mix.

Stuffed Tomatoes

I thought I'd post some of my favorite summertime recipes since we all have an abundance of produce right now. These are so easy to make, but they look really fancy. They'd be great to serve to guests.

5 Tomatoes
2 Jarred Pimientos, drained and chopped
1/4 Red Onion
1/2 Small Zucchini, diced into 1/4 in. squares
1 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 Lemon
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro or Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons Bread Crumbs
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Cut the tops off 4 tomatoes and trim a thin slice off the bottoms so they will sit upright. Hollow out the tomatoes with a spoon and discard the insides. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper.
2. Seed and chop the remaining tomato and place in bowl.
3. Add the next 7 ingredients to the bowl.
4. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over mixture.
5. Add olive oil and salt and pepper and toss mixture to combine.
6. Fill the empty tomatoes with stuffing and serve.