Summer Pasta Salad

Hello everyone,

Happy almost summer! One my most often requested recipes by friends and family is my go to Summer Pasta Salad. In fact, a coworker just asked me for my secret ingredients! Well, I decided to give a video recipe a try. How’d I do? A printable text version of the recipe is below. Comment and let me know what your favorite summer side dish is!

Cheers & happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

5 from 1 vote

Summer Pasta Salad

This quick & easy dish will be a hit at your summer picnic!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword pasta salad, side dish, summer side, vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Chill 2 hours

Total Time 17 minutes

Servings 12 people

Author The Vegan Hostess

Ingredients

Pasta Salad

1 box elbow, spiral or other dry pasta
1 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz can large olives drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 stalk celery diced
1/2 cup red onion diced
1/2 cup banana pepper rings chopped

Dressing

1 cup italian dressing I like Wishbone Far Free Italian.
1/2 cup liquid from banana pepper ring jar
1 tbsp oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse and drain all canned ingredients and set aside.
Chop/ dice all vegetables and set aside.
Combine spices, Italian dressing, and banana pepper juice and set aside.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
Combine the vegetables, beans, olives, and pasta.
Pour the dressing mixture over top and mix well.
Chill for two hours.
Garnish with your favorite vegan cheese, freshly mined parsley or other herb and enjoy!

You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What’s Online at Swagbucks.com

Summer Party Ideas & Recipes

Hello everyone,

Are you busy preparing for the long holiday weekend? If you’re like me, that means three trips to the grocery store to pick up all the items you keep forgetting and hours in the kitchen obsessing over which side salad to make for your guests. Well I’ve got a helping of 4th of July Party Ideas & Recipes ready to go. And the one thing I know I don’t have to worry about is which faux meat to grill.

My hands down, favorite veggie dog is the LightLife Jumbo Smart Dog. This slightly larger dog actually fits the length of traditional hot dog buns, and it has the perfect texture + taste combo. Try it topped with a little mustard, ketchup, red onion and vegan cheese.

It’s so good and without the guilt—it’sonly 100 calories with 3.5g of fat and 4g carbs, plus it has 13g of protein! Even better, they are vegan and non-GMO. Healthy and hot dogs don’t exactly go together like pb&j, but this veggie dog seems to do the trick!

These veggie dogs are especially good if you lightly char them on the grill. And I do mean lightly. If you let them go too long, they’ll blacken and get a little “rubbery.” However, if you cook them just long enough, it makes for the perfect summer snack! If it’s a rainy day youcan also use a griddle. As you head to the store this weekend, remember to pick some of these up. Right now you can save $2.00 off any two LightLife products through Mambo Sprouts.

Okay. So now you know which veggie dog to cook. What else? Well for me, I’ll probably whip up a creamy, vegan old-fashioned coleslaw or maybe opt for an asian-inspired slaw. Of course, I have to make my signature macaroni salad, and maybe a summer bean salad, too. Plus, you can’t forget dessert! Perhaps I’ll go with vegan Rice Krispie Treats or maybe some melty, satisfying s’mores if the weather is just right for a fire.

Tell me, what are you planning for your holiday weekend?

Cheers!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Additionally, I received Light Life coupons for free products in return for my honest review. As always, all opinions are my own!

Mixed Cabbage Salad w/ Citrus Peanut Vinaigrette

Hello everyone,

My partner loves asian-inspired flavors. He uses sesame oil when it isn’t necessary. He uses soy sauce at odd times. You get the idea. Well, I’ve been looking for new, quick & easy recipes with asian flavors outside the usual stir fry. I recently created a recipe for chilled sesame noodle salad, and now I’ve hit the mark again with a mixed cabbage salad with a citrus peanut dressing.

This has easily become a quick favorite because it’s so practical. You can make a large batch on Sunday and use it for lunches throughout the week. Simply keep the vinaigrette on the side and add the dressing as you go. The base flavors are mild—meaning this recipe is also easily adaptable. You can even make a few different dressings to keep it interesting.

If you stick true to the recipe you’ll end up with a crunchy, sweet and sour salad that tastes great. Plus, it’s so appetizing with all the vibrant colors! Give it a try!

Cheers,

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own! Continue reading “Mixed Cabbage Salad w/ Citrus Peanut Vinaigrette” →

How to Make Fattoush Salad

Hello everyone,

I love Middle Eastern cuisine. Baba ghanoush, falafel, tabouli, you name it— it’s some of my favorite food. I was craving a feel good meal this weekend, so I decided to try my hand at a classic, fattoush salad.

Fattoush (فتوش) is a levantine bread salad which originated in Lebanon, but is also common in Syria and other Middle Eastern counties. Fattoush includes toasted or fried pieces of pita bread mixed with greens and fresh vegetables. It generally also includes cucumber, tomato, and other ingredients depending on season, location, taste, etc.

The dressing is slightly sour and acidic, using a healthy serving of lemon juice and sumac. Since I didn’t have sumac, I used zatar seasoning to give the salad a full flavor. I also used store bought pita chips to save time, but I’m sure this recipe would be even better if you used homemade pita bread for the crunch. This is a deceptively easy salad to make considering the robust flavor combinations. Why not give it a try?

What’s your favorite Middle Eastern recipe?

Cheers,

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own! Continue reading “How to Make Fattoush Salad” →

Recipe: Chilled Sesame Noodle Salad

Hello friends!

Have you been looking for the perfect salad to bring to your next potluck? My Chilled Sesame Noodle Salad will do the trick.

It’s deceptively simple, and will please even the pickiest of palates. The mix of bright, fresh peppers and green onion goes perfect with the tangy sesame vinaigrette. The powerful dressing is a mix of citrus juice, Sriracha, and ginger powder which pairs well with black or toasted sesame seeds. This is a wonderful dish to bring to a potluck or to make if you’re hosting events. It lasts about one week so you can even use it for last minute lunches.

The best part? This recipe takes under 30 minutes, then you place the salad in the refrigerator for an hour, and voila! You’re appetizer is ready to serve. It’s almost too good to be true. Go ahead and give it a try!

Cheers & happy eating,

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own! Continue reading “Recipe: Chilled Sesame Noodle Salad” →