Since most of us are home, food seems to be a big part of our lives and trying to find ingredients has become somewhat of a hassle. (I did a 3 week, 4 store hunt for yeast until I was finally successful!) This has a few ingredients that you might not have on hand, but I was able to find everything I needed. Note: Stop ‘N Shop deli counter carries a similar salad during the summer months.
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 1 lb box mini bowie pasta, cooked
- 2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
- 2 whole roasted red peppers, sliced then chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 sm. sweet onion, chopped
- A big ole handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup salted sunflower seeds (if not eating immediately, wait to add until ready to serve)
Lemon Honey Vinaigrette:
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp light rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to box directions, drain and set in a bowl of cold water to cool.
2. Prepare the oranges through parsley and mix all in a large bowl. Add the pasta and vinaigrette, toss well and serve.
Tip: I used a 12 oz. box of pasta, because that was all the store had. If you make a 16 oz. box, I think doubling (or maybe 1 1/2) the dressing would be recommended. Pasta tends to soak up the dressing a bit so if the salad is going to be around for a couple of days, it would benefit from the additional liquid.