Summer Pasta

I've been acquiring the items for this summer salsa pasta salad all week and I just never got the time to make it. Until today. I must share. It's delicious! By the way, I hate cilantro.  But I love Mexican food and most of what I cook is spicy so Que Pasa? Maybe it's starting to grow on me. The aversion was violent back in the day - I'd recoil in horror if I tasted it, but now, I chew through it with only a minor grimace. I must be growing up (wipe tear away.)  Anyhow, it's a great, easy to make summer salad. And actually most people have a lot of this stuff in their pantries already  - I just had to make a special trip to the produce stand to get the fresh cilantro. Didn't have any problem identifying THAT one - oy that stuff is strong.  I find most of my recipes at Allrecipes.com - simply because it has two important features: 1- reader reviews and 2 - the option to type in whatever you found in the fridge and it will find a recipe for it.  Genius!

2 cups rainbow pasta

1 chopped onion (I used some scallions too)

1 red bell pepper (had half a green one -score!)

1 6oz can of sliced black olives (or like my family, get the supersize and sample all during prep.)

3 diced tomatoes

1 4oz can of diced green chiles (I used 3 T of green salsa)

1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoon  garlic salt

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup veg oil (I like less so went with 1/3)

1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 Tablespoon chili powder*

* I thought it needed more kick so I added 1 Tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes.

1. Cook the noodles.  (I'm always surprised that this has to be written in a recipe. But, hey, you never know...)

2. Combine the onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes and green chiles (or green salsa) in one bowl.

3. In another bowl (I suggest something easy to pour from) whisk together the vinegar, cilantro, garlic salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil, sugar and chili powder (and red pepper flakes.)  

This dish is best served cold - let the stuff mingle for a bit and have a cold Pacifico while you wait.  If I had a baby pool, I'd have my feet in it. I thought a little bit of Mexican trinkets would be a good background.  So it's a great summer salad, or an odd sort of shrine to pasta...