Mexican Pasta Salad

We are going to be tailgating tomorrow for my hubby's favorite time of year....the Monster Jam. I wanted to make a pasta salad that would keep without refrigeration. I started dreaming up different concotions and came up with this. I found a dressing recipe here, but I tweaked it a bit.

Mexican Pasta Salad

1 pound pasta, cooked and cooled
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bag frozen corn, cooked and cooled
1/2 small red onion diced
2 tomatoes diced
(I was going to use a roasted red pepper, but I didn't get to use it this time)

Dressing
Juice of 2 limes
1 clove of garlic minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp honey

1. In a large bowl, combine pasta, black beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes.
2. In food processor (I used a mini one that came with my stick blender), combine garlic, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, cilantro, and honey. Blend until combined and cilantro is well chopped.
3. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.

Potato Salad

I used to always make my grandmother's potato salad recipe. It was always my favorite. Then one day, we went to a neighbor's house and she has a potato salad with some herbs mixed in. It was so delicious. So I thought to combine the two and YUM! A great potato salad was born.

Ingredients

3 lbs red creamer potatos boiled, cooled, and peeled (I boil mine then remove the peels when they cool)
1/2 cup mayo
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 bunch parsley
4 green onions (scallions or you could use chives)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut potatos into large pieces (so they won't break apart when mixing, otherwise you will wind up with mashed potato salad)
2. Finely chop green onions and parsley (I use my food processor) and add to the potatoes
3. Add mayo, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and fold together.

Thats it. It is that easy

Panzanella

For Mothers Day this year, my mother wanted to have everyone at her house for pizza. She wanted to something easy so nobody had to cook or clean. To go along with the pizza I decided to make a salad. I searched the web for something different instead of the same old salad or the same old antipasta. I checked out thenest and found a recipe for Panzanella salad. It is basically a salad that you use old stale bread to soak up the juices of the tomatoes and dressing. It was quite good. I used the celestial seasonings italian salad dressing instead of theirs. So here is the recipe...

Panzanella

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Italian bread, 3 to 4 days old, cut into 1-inch thick slices1/2 cup cold water1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubesKosher salt1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilFreshly ground black pepper1 1/2 to 2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 5), seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes1 medium red onion (4 to 5 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
Directions:
Sprinkle the bread with the water and let stand about 2 minutes. Gently squeeze the bread dry as you tear it into roughly 1-inch pieces. Spread the pieces of torn bread on paper towels to dry slightly, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread the cucumber pieces on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Let stand about 20 minutes to extract the bitter juices. Put the cucumbers in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Pat dry.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, torn basil, and the bread. Toss to combine and let stand until the bread has absorbed some of the vinaigrette, about 20 minutes.
Cooking Right: Reconstitute stale bread by sprinkling it with water. Gently squeeze out any excess water as you tear the bread into pieces. Don’t be too zealous as you squeeze or the bread will fall apart.
Excerpted from Cooking New American by the Editors of Fine Cooking. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted with permission from Taunton Press, Inc. Recipe by Joanne Weir.