Farmer's Market Pasta Salad on NBC

The Farmer's Markets are bursting with color these days. The vegetables, still warm from the sun, restore my faith in the simple, beautiful things in life. It makes such a difference to know that the food you're eating was grown in your neighborhood and tended by hands that truly cared about what you put on your plate. So Wonderful.
I had some fun this week. I appeared on WCSH6 for a cooking segment on 207. They are now posting all of their kitchtn segments online with streaming video. If you'd like to see it follow the link to 207. Rob Caldwell and I put together a colorful Farmer's Market Pasta Salad. It looked as good as it tasted! Hope you have a chance to eat all your colors today.

Farmer’s Market Pasta Salad
This salad is not a pasta salad that thinks about vegetables- It's a crisp, fresh, crunchy salad that is enhanced with pasta. Add grilled chicken for a complete meal.
Dressing:
3/4 c olive oil
1⁄2 c balsamic vinegar
1 T mustard
2 T finely chopped fresh basil
1 T finely chopped fresh chives
2 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 handful fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 t brown sugar- optional
Salad:
2 c fresh garden tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 c yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 c cucumber, coarsely chopped
1 c broccoli florets, cut in bite sized pieces
1 c sweet red or Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
1 c celery, coarsely chopped
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced or coarsely shredded
10 fresh large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 lb small mozzarella balls, or mozzarella cheese
1 lb whole wheat, spelt or spinach pasta- cooked just barely to al dente
Chive blossoms for garnish
Place the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together until completely incorporated. Set aside.
Wash and chop the vegetables. Add all of the vegetables and cheese to the bowl. Toss with the dressing and let marinate in the fridge overnight. The pasta will absorb the dressing as it sits. Toss before serving. Add a little drizzle of oil and vinegar if you need moisture. Serve with fresh crusty whole grain bread and chive blossoms for garnish.

Happy Mother's Day with Fresh Fruit Salad

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mom's! Sherwood treated me to dinner in Brunswick last night at El Camino- a little Mexican restaurant with incredible ambiance and yummy food. We shared chips and a smoky homemade salsa, a taco salad with marinated steak and nachos with grilled chicken. The salsa was not chunky but a fine-ish puree with a hint of smoky pepper. Both the nachos and taco salad were comprised of diced veggies and meats. Everything was fresh and lively. You can visit them on my space just click here for El Camino Cantina. We've been dancing around the house and most Thursday nights at Great Salt Bay School. I just can't get enough. The more I learn the more I want to dance. The kids made dinner tonight. It was a delicious fruit salad with a lemon pineapple dressing and deviled eggs. If you need to serve brunch for Mother's Day- this is sure to be a hit.
Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon Pineapple Dressing
3 cups fresh hulled and quartered strawberries
3 cups fresh diced seedless watermelon
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup fresh blueberries
Toss all of these together and chill.
for the dressing combine: the juice of a lemon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (OR 1 to 2 Tablespoons spiced or dark rum- very optional)
Whisk the dressing ingredients to dissolve the sugar. (at this point you can opt to whisk 1/2 cup of sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone cheese or plain yogurt into the dressing- if you like your dressings creamier) Pour over the fruit and toss well.
Serve in chilled bowls with a sprinkle of brown sugar on top.
Savor. Linger. Enjoy!
-Cynthia