Halfway through January and everyone is already counting down to the next big holiday. With post-vacation stress and disappearing free time, where do you find the time to cook? Never fear, a simple and quick salad is here.
For many, January is the most overwhelming and unpleasant month of the year. It means back to work with an intimidating inbox, new objectives to reach, more hours to devote to your computer and the stress of having just come down from a holiday-high.
During this period of wistful December-longing, the last thing on my to-do list is cooking – and by this I mean, legitimate, thought-out, planned cooking. While I am very much a proponent of making meals for the week ahead of time in an effort to keep the to-go bill to a minimum, there are certain weeks (and months) that really don’t lend themselves to elaborate dinners. But what can you throw together that is both nutritious and quick?
Salad - an extremely versatile dish that can be tweaked and tailored to include your favorite foods.
For me, a salad without cheese and some kind of carbohydrate (melted goat cheese on toast within the salad often does the trick), just isn’t satiating. A bag of spinach or lettuce may feel great but I’m always ravenous within a few short hours after eating which inevitably leads me to raid the kitchen for something sweet with unbecoming fervor. Trust me. Fortunately, this spinach pasta salad recipe contains enough to keep me feeling satisfied and charged.
What you need
{serves 2}
2 cups whole wheat pasta (Fusilli or Penne)
½ cup of diced red pepper
1 small onion thinly sliced
1-2 cups packed fresh basil
4-8 cherry tomatoes quartered
1/3 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup crumbled feta (may substitute fresh mozzarella or goat cheese)
½ cup drained tuna or chicken (optional)
Handful of toasted pine nuts (optional)
Dressing
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Sprinkle desired amount of pepper
How to
Cook pasta as indicated on the package. Drain well.
Whisk together white wine vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, spinach, onion, pepper, fresh basil and pine nuts and toss well. Add the cheese and cherry tomatoes on top.
Add desired amount of dressing, tossing again gently.
Enjoy!
Lindsey Tramuta is a home & culture columnist for BitchBuzz and the creator of Lost In Cheeseland where she writes about life, love, food and struggles in Paris. Follow her on twitter @LostNCheeseland.
{Photo courtesy of PenguinCakes}