Laptop Lunches #94

A while ago, I found some fun pasta shapes in various vegetable flavors and colors, and I thought I would try them out in making a variation of a pasta salad I used to eat at a place called "Souper Salad." (Is there such a place anymore? Does anyone know?) Pasta salads are a great idea for the summer, when you don't necessarily want to eat a hot meal.

Anyway, this is what they looked like raw:

I'm showing this to you so you know what I was trying to accomplish. It didn't go quite as planned.

You see that when cooked my lovely hearts turned into...smushed things that could be almost anything. Oh, well. I did like how it tasted. So I have parmesan and corn pasta salad (recipe below), fresh peach slices, guacamole salad (America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2010) and a tiny slice of key lime pie with a cup of whipped cream topping (America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2011).

I knew the whipped cream would end up a little runny, but I didn't mind that. It still tasted good with the pie and cut the tartness of the lime. The key lime pie recipe was pretty simple and I would make it again, just as they say with maybe the exception of just using canned whipped cream.

The guacamole salad was all right, but I think I'd prefer the jalapenos minced and include some of the seeds for some heat. Also, I think I'd quarter the chery tomatoes rather than halve them. The avocado really needs to take center stage. And finally, I don't think we needed the olive oil. It made the salad too heavy. I think I'll revisit this again to tweak it.

My recipe for parmesan and corn pasta salad is as follows:

Parmesan and Corn Pasta Salad

8 oz. multi-colored vegetable pasta (a wide, flat noodle works best, such as bow ties--I don't recommend rotini; you could even use spinach fettucine)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 scallion, sliced thinly, divided
1/2 cup light mayo
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Cook pasta in boiling salted water; drain. Toss with corn and half of the sliced scallion. Mix mayo, parmesan, garlic salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then toss with pasta and vegetable mixture. Chill for at least 1/2 hour to allow flavors to blend. Garnish salad with remaining scallions before serving. If you chill for more than a few hours, allow to come to room temperature before serving (it's better when it isn't too cold).

Servings: About 4-6

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