Southwest Taco Pasta Salad

Southwest Taco Pasta Salad

This is a salad that I created on a 95 degree day. I cooked the pasta in the morning and chopped up the vegetables and put it all in the refrigerator to chill until a half hour before dinner.







The salad is ideal when you know its going to be a really hot day. It could easily be prepared the night before and the dressing added just before serving.

I really try to limit my meat intake and the Southwest Taco Pasta Salad is meat free yet filling.  It has black beans, cheese and pasta which all are a great source of protein. 

Here's what you came for....the recipe! 😋

Southwest Taco Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

16 oz  box  rotini cooked and cooled

1 can of organic corn drained

2 medium tomatoes diced

1 sweet onion diced

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 small can sliced black olives drained

8 oz colby-jack cheese cubed and reserved

Dressing:

1/4 C fresh parsley chopped

2 green onions chopped

1/2 C mayonaise

1/4 C Lemon Juice 

1/4 C French Dressing

1 packet of taco seasoning

Optional:

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Preparation:

Combine cooled pasta, corn, onion, tomatoes, black beans,  black olives in a large bowl and chill until 1/2 hour before serving.  

Dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and french dressing and taco seasoning, add parsley and green onions.

Combine dressing, reserved cheese and pasta mixture together.  

Top each serving with guacamole and sour cream if desired.

Serves 6-8  

Baked Chickpea Patty Recipe

 When I woke up today, I knew I wanted to make some kind of patty with chickpeas.  I didn't want something heavy laden with grease, so I opted for baking.  The following recipe is what I came up with.  My family enjoyed this, and I hope you will too.

Falafel Inspired Baked Chickpea Patties

baked chickpea patty

Recipe for Baked Chickpea Patties

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed
• 1 carrot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1/4 t fenugreek
• 1/8 t red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 T dried parsley
• 1 t sesame seeds
• 1 C cooked quinoa 
• 1 T olive oil
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 T flour

In a food processor, combine drained, rinsed chickpeas, carrot, garlic and shallot, process till the garbanzos are finely chopped.  Scrape sides with rubber spatula and pulse a few more times.  In a medium bowl, combine the garbanzo mixture, fenugreek, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, cooked quinoa and olive oil.  Mix thoroughly, add 1 T flour, cover and let rest in refrigerator for 1/2 to 1 hour.    Spray baking sheet or pizza stone with olive oil.  Shape into 8 to 10 patties.    Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 min or more depending on how golden you want them.  Flip once during cooking add more olive oil spray.    They firm up if baked longer.

Enjoy!

Rhonda Gehringer