Pasta Salad with Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette

I needed to take a salad to a meeting and found this recipe online. I really liked it and will definitely be making it again. The recipe is from "Aggie's Kitchen".

1 box whole wheat rotini pasta (whole wheat is optional)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut in small florets
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin
1 cup black or kalamata olives, halved
1 can garbonzo beans, rinsed and drained
good pinch of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

For dressing:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
good pinch of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
big handful of fresh basil leaves


Cook pasta according to directions.

Place broccoli florets in a colander. When pasta is ready to drain, pour over broccoli florets. Drain well and put in large bowl. Set aside and cool.

In the meantime, make your dressing by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Process ingredients for about 30 seconds until well blended and emulsified.

Add a quarter of the dressing to pasta and broccoli and genly toss. Once combined, add the tomatoes, onions, beans, and olives to pasta salad along with more dressing. Do not use all the dressng, save some for right before serving because pasta salad will soak up most of the dressing and may dry out a bit. Regrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with bowl of grated Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Artichoke Pasta Salad

This is one of my favorite pasta salads. I found this recipe in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook called "Family Favorites" and it had been submitted by Lori Davey from Owosse, MI.

Serves 8-10.

12 oz. bow tie pasta
6 oz. pitted ripe olives, sliced
8 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped (make sure to get the can, not the marinated ones in the jar)
8 oz. feta cheese, cubed
8 oz. mozzarella chesse, cubed
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (this is my own addition)

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsalmic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, cool, and combine with olives, artichokes, and feta and mozzarella cheeses.

Place dressing ingredients in a blender and blend well. Gently toss salad mixture with salad dressing and chill.

Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Couscous Salad

I found this recipe on www.cookinglight.com.

5 servings

2 cups diced tomato
3/4 cup (3 oz) diced fresh mozzarella cheese (part-skim mozzarella cheese can be substituted)
3 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Basil leaves (optional)

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; cover and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool. Add couscous and fresh basil to tomato mixture; toss gently. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired.