Italian Pasta Salad

1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped

2 chopped tomatoes ( I remove the seeds)

1 small english cucumber, remove seeds and chop

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

500g tri-color fusilli pasta, cooked and cooled

Sauce:

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

Cook and cool your pasta and put in salad bowl. Add all your chopped veggies and mix together. Put all your sauce ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk together well. Pour over salad and mix up. Put in fridge to cool. Mix before serving as the dressing tends to settle on the bottle.

I like to toss cheese in mine when I serve it. I have one who doesn't like cheese in her salad so I try to get her some up first. I also don't really measure out the salt, pepper and paprika so you want to taste it and see if you want a little more or not. Enjoy!!

Apple Quinoa Curry Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup raw whole almonds
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 1 small McIntosh apple, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

{via marthastewart.com}

I made my quinoa as directed on the big bag from Costco. I made half a cup (serves two) boiled in one cup of water. Then turned it to low and let it cook for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes I drained it and let it cool before 'fluffing' it. 

For the dressing, I disregarded the shallots, the currant and the mint. It tasted fine and was delicious divided on two large salads. I also added small pieces of chopped up chicken to make the salad more of a dinner meal. I used almond slivers, lightly baked in the oven and mixed everything together. The more apple the better as the sweet taste is a nice combination with the spicy curry flavor. 

Broccoli Salad

1/2 pkg bacon, cooked until crispy, broken into small pieces

1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sauce

1/4 cup white sugar

2 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

All the above measurements are a best guesstimate. I usually double everything and make a huge batch as it won't last long. Prep all your ingredients and mix together in a bowl. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and mix in salad. Best if you chill for a couple of hours. Enjoy!!

Bowtie Salad

It tastes better if made the day (or at least a few hours) before. I reserve some of the coleslaw dressing and fold it in before serving to make sure the salad is moist. Also the cashews shouldn't be added until just before serving so they don't go soft.

454 g (1 lb) 1 box of bowtie pasta

One large bottle (2 cups) of coleslaw salad dressing

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

4 stalks of celery, diced

2-3 cans of mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup of red grapes, cut in half

1/2 cup unsalted cashews (optional)

1/4 cup Craisins (optional)

Add salt and pepper for taste