Summer Food

When summer comes my tastebuds switch from craving soups and comfort food to lighter fare like salads. I found this recipe on the blog "This Week for Dinner" last summer and recently made it for the first time this season. The guests I served it to seemed to enjoy it so I thought I would share with my blog friends, small in number though they may be :) It is a pasta salad with an asian twist. The recipe calls for bow tie pasta, which is what I recently used. However, in the past I have used whole wheat penne pasta which I actually prefer. I used the "regular" pasta for Bob's sake, since that is what he seems to like better. Here is a picture ....


and here is the recipe....

Asian Pasta and Spinach Salad

Toss together:

1 small bag of spinach

8 oz bow tie pasta or pasta of your choice (cooked, strained and cooled)

I cooked my pasta the day before and mixed it with some of the dressing then refridgerated it overnight and assembled the rest of the salad right before serving)

2-4 Tblsp Sesame Seeds (optional)

1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds (optional)

1 can sliced water chestnuts

3 Cooked chicken breasts chopped into bite size pieces.

I pounded my chicken thin and seasoned it with lemon pepper and grilled it.

1 Cup bean sprouts

Dressing:
1/2 Cup Canola oil
1/2 Cup Sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sesame oil

3 Tblsp. soy sauce

2 Tblsp. rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned)

1 tsp grated garlic

Whisk together all ingredients till well blend. Store in fridge. Return to room temp. before combining with salad. Enjoy!