Veggie Spelt Pasta Salad


 I feel like my meal planning and recipe creating juices have returned to me. Does it take a change of location and different kitchen for this to happen? Well,whatever it is I will gladly embrace it.

 Nothing has changed in our home since moving. Since I am still working from home, managing a certain schedule to maintain sanity is dire! I am trying to plan more the night before for lunches and dinners. Ryan will soon start his new job and we have talked about the importance of saving money, so planning lunches is really important. It is not only important for him but also for me. I do not have a lot of time to just prepare meals. I need something that I can put in a bowl and eat quickly so I can prepare Julianne's meals as well.
asparagus

 I am not feeding Julianne the same foods that I am because we are not feeding dairy at all so I have only been focusing on whole fruits and veggies with occasional eggs here and there.

 After receiving my 2 boxes of spelt rotini pasta I decided to make a pasta salad. My mother would make these salads frequently as we were growing up. Pasta is not only delicious warm or hot but it is really delicious cold especially with the right ingredients.
spelt pasta salad 1

I had a nice bunch of asparagus to use so that went well with some fresh red peppers and cucumbers. I added crumbled feta cheese but pickled tofu or sliced green olives could substitute for the feta to give the salad the desired sharp and tangy flavors. These were all items I had on hand so you can always substitute your favorite veggies too.

 The salad makes 2 big large lunch portions which Ryan and I quickly devoured yesterday. SO how about that spelt pasta? YUM! I definitely prefer it to whole wheat pasta even though I will still eat it. Their certainly was no graininess in this pasta and it was very flavorful. It takes 4 minutes to cook and it cools quickly too. What a plus!
Spelt pasta salad

You have to find some of Nature's Legacy Tri-Color Spelt Rotini because it is definitely worth it. It is healthy and cheap. Make sure to check out Nature's Legacy store to see where you can find this product. You can also buy it from their store as well.

 Enjoy the recipe!
Veggie Spelt Pasta Salad

by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Keywords: boil dressing salad lunch vegetarian spelt asparagus summer

Ingredients (2 large lunch portions)
    Pasta Salad
    • 3 cups cooked spelt pasta
    • 1/2 cup chopped English cucumber
    • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
    • 1 cup blanched asparagus, blanched
    • 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup light crumbled feta cheese
    • Vegan option: sub in pickled tofu or 1/2 cup chopped pitted green olives
    Dressing
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 garlic clove, crushed
    • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
    • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • crushed pepper
    Instructions
    Pasta Salad
    Cook pasta according to boxed directions. Drain after cooking, place in a glass bowl and drizzle with a little oil and let cool. Chop the veggies.
    Chop up the asparagus. Place in boiling water for 3-5 minutes and then blanch them so they stay nice and green. Drain.
    Add the asparagus and the rest of the veggies to the pasta. Add the feta cheese or vegan options. Make the dressing.
    For dressing
    Crush the garlic and place in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a small fork. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
    Refrigerate overnight or consume immediately.
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