Monday, February 23, 2009

Meatless Monday

Sorry, last Monday I completely spaced it until Wednesday.

This recipe is one of my "secrets" and it is great for munching on for an early dinner and then go back and snack later in the day. I love to make it early in the morning on a spring day and then you can go out and play worry free.

I called it "Italian Pasta Salad".

First thing I do is put about 1/4 ranch dressing and 1/2 cup Italian dressing in a huge bowl and whisk them together. This makes a very yummy coating. Also using it isn't as unhealthy as using other things people make pasta sauces out of.
Next I dice up 4 medium sized tomatoes. Stir them into the sauce. I also like to add some halved kalamata olives and a few pepper roccinis topped and a colored bell peper all uncooked. Stiring them into the sauce as I go.
I like to lightly steam the rest of the vegetable before adding them. So I put them in a colander over a pot with some water and cover with a lid. I will just usually add what ever is in season broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are good staples.
Then just cook a bag of twisty noodles. For this type of salad "al dente" is best.
Chopped up your steamed veggies if you didn't already and stir. You may want to add some salt and pepper at this point.
I like to serve garlic toast with this salad too. What else might you serve with it?
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3 comments:

  1. Hmmm...that sounds really good! I am definitely getting in the mood for spring and summer kind of foods. It has been a looooong cold winter.

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  2. If you liked this Italian Pasta Salad, you should try the Chickpea Vegetable Salad with Curried Yogurt Dressing listed in the Meatless Monday recipe archive under lunch. http://www.meatlessmonday.com/mealplanning

    I believe with you that cutting back one's meat intake is an effective and manageable way to live more responsibly. That's why I work for Meatless Mondays, a campaign dedicated to encouraging Americans to stop eating meat on Mondays. If everyone stopped eating meat just for one day per week, meat intake would go down 15%. Not only would that reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly, but cutting out meat once a week significantly reduces one's risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke- the four leading causes of death in the US, all preventable. I think it's great that you're carrying on the Meatless Monday tradition by doing your own blog posts. Did you know about our specific campaign or did you come up with the idea on your own?

    One day a week without meat makes the effort manageable, but it's still effective, in both health and environmental sustainability. You should check out our website for great articles and meatless recipes, http://www.meatlessmonday.com. This week features a Mardi Gras theme, all your favorite gumbo and jamabalaya recipes, but with a healthier twist.

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  3. @ Carole me too it is so cold
    @ Joey Well I thought of it myself, but I figured there was probably already a website committed to it. I did link to your great website in my first Meatless Monday a few weeks ago.
    I think that everything is good in moderation and this can help you moderate.Since diabetes runs in my family, I am always trying to think of ways to include more fiber and fresh foods in my families diet.
    Your recipe sounds great.

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Thanks for your comments!!!