Monday, December 20, 2010

Psychedelic Fruit Salad

Last night I went to see TRON. I thought the movie was ok. The soundtrack was awesome.

I share this because it meant I didn't have enough time to do my usual lengthy shopping trip, dinner cooking and lunch-for-Monday prepping. I had to come up with something quick.

I knew I had just picked up some brown rice pasta that a friend recommended from TJ's. I also knew I had some discounted kiwis that I had bought several days before and that were probably bad or going bad quickly. Discounted produce is a great way to get stuff way cheap. You just need to use it before it goes bad. I usually head there first when I hit the produce section because I'll try to make a meal around whatever bargain I find.

I knew I also had some real feta (we usually have it on hand) and some olives.

So I decided to make a pasta salad and a fruit salad.

For the pasta salad I cooked the pasta. I had never cooked brown rice pasta before so I wasn't sure what the consistency would be like. When I thought it was done I drained it, cooled it a bit and tried a piece. OOPS! It wasn't cooked all the way. I started a new pot of boiling water and cooked it a few more minutes until it was tender.

The noodles were tasty. They are actually a little firmer and chewier than regular pasta. It was a nice change. I didn't buy them because they are "healthier" than regular pasta or because I'm jumping on the gluten free band wagon. I just wanted to try something different and they were the same price ($1.99) as the other stuff. They would be a great option for those who are gluten intolerant/celiac. But if you are just looking for a lower calorie pasta option, keep looking.

Anywho, I cooked the pasta, chilled it down and then tossed it with the olives, a minced green pepper ($0.99), some celery I had on hand (I always have celery), some pimentos I had in the pantry (aka red pepper pieces), a can of garbanzo/chickpeas, a little EVOO, vinegar, tabasco, S & P. I didn't mix the feta directly in but just put a little on top of each serving once in the bowl.

This was sooooo good!

And it made a great lunch for me today along with some psychedelic fruit salad.

When I hit the store I was in a hurry. So I looked to see what I could toss with those kiwis. Mangos and persimmons were on sale. I got one of each along with the green pepper and some milk.

While the water was boiling for the pasta I chopped up all of the stuff for the salad and all of the fruit.

It made a very bright orange fruit concoction. Man was it tasty!

You can try making your own pasta salad and/or psychedelic fruit salad.

For the former, chop up whatever raw veggies you like or have on hand and toss them in with any kind of beans. If you have fresh herbs, toss those in. If you have a oil based dressing you like (like a good Italian), use some of that. It's quick, filling, cheap, tasty, and refreshing.

For the latter (not ladder), chop up whatever fruits you like and gently mix together: apples, berries, pears, bananas, mango, kiwi, persimmon, grapes, etc. It may end up looking something like this:


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