Mamas*Little*Treasures

Ruby for Women, July, 2011

Open publication - Free publishing - More christian

Ruby for Women, April, 2011

Open publication - Free publishing - More crafts

Creative in My Kitchen: Rainbow Pasta Salad

  After I bought the recipe book, Sweet and Sugar-Free by Karen Barkey, I was suddenly inspired to start being more creative in my kitchen! So, this morning, I baked up a loaf of old-fashioned banana bread using the recipe from Karen's book. There is no sugar in this recipe, the sweetening comes from the ripe bananas, and then a liberal addition of cinnamon and nutmeg and lots of chopped walnuts. Now we're getting ready for the holiday weekend, and in addition to celebrating our American heroes, here at our house we are also celebrating three birthdays! We have three grandbabies with birthdays on Memorial Day weekend . . . . one is six years old, one is five years old, and one is four years old   ;o) The five year old lives in Colorado, but the other two are here with us this weekend, so we will celebrate all three birthdays even though one is probably going to be via Skype! While searching for healthy alternative recipes for all kinds of things, I found this super simple pasta salad recipe that I'm going to make for our birthday lunch tomorrow: 

Rainbow Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is easy to make and so delicious!

8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spiral pasta
• 6-ounce jar marinated artichokes
• 1 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 8-ounce bottle low-calorie Italian dressing
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place into large bowl. Add artichokes, vegetables, and salad dressing. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Tips: Variations of this salad are endless. Try it with any number of vegetables, or even add tuna or chicken or chopped hard boiled eggs. You can even make it lower in fat with a nonfat dressing.

Calories: 147  Fat: 5g   Carbs: 21g   Protein: 4g   Cholesterol: 1mg   Fiber: 2g   Sodium: 367mg   

 

Based on a recipe from Quick Meals for Healthy Kids and Busy Parents. Copyright © 1995 by Sandra K. Nissenberg, Margaret L. Bogle, and Audrey C. Wright. All rights reserved. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

To order this book visit www.wiley.com.