Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Basil and Feta

I made this recipe months ago. In all honesty, I think it was before summer actually hit. Trust me when I say that we haven't completely stopped cooking, although lately we have not been adventurous by any means. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of the things that we all enjoy and for me those things are reading, cooking, and blogging (to name a few). Now that my last PhD exam is over with, hopefully I can start getting back into my life's routine.

I found this recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod, one of my two favorite food blogs. I will admit that I was a little skeptical at first. It just seems like a very odd combination to me. However, I pushed my mind open a little bit and decided to try it since Maria (and Josh) has yet to steer me wrong! I love everything that I have tried from her (their) blog.

This recipe was definitely interesting, but was also amazing at the same time. I love all of the individual ingredients alone, but together they made a wonderful, light, and healthy summer salad. The flavors come together well and I could easily eat this for breakfast, lunch, or supper. I did not change Maria's recipe at all. You can see her original post here. Enjoy!

On another note: Am I the only one that is addicted to all of the amazing dishes that would be great for food photography. I feel like every time I go to Kroger or Walmart I see one that I want to buy just one of in every color!


Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Basil and Feta

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries
2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese

*Place sliced strawberries in a medium bowl. Drizzle strawberries with balsamic vinegar and stir until well coated.

2. Sprinkle fresh basil and feta over the strawberries and stir.

3. Serve cold.

Southwestern Pasta Salad

My friend and fellow recipe blogger Tessa added this recipe to her blog over the summer and I have been wanting to try it. So, with the labor day festivities and a big BBQ with friends tomorrow I decided that now was the time. I am sure that it will be a success! I tried a bite after I was done making it (so the tomatoes were not in it yet) and it is AMAZING! It has so much flavor. Nice work Tessa! I did add one extra ingredient (onions) because I just really like them. Here is a link to Tessa's original post on her Cookin' Chemist Blog.

This is one of the most flavorful salads I have ever had and I will definitely be making it again soon! I, like Tessa, always use whole-wheat pasta. Not only is it healthier but I think it has SO much more flavor than normal pasta. Plus it does not seem to get mushy like other pasta does. At first it does seem like there is a LOT of veggies and such when compared to the amount of pasta, but it makes the PERFECT ratio and blend.

Southwestern Pasta Salad

1/2 pkg. (box) whole wheat rotini pasta (About 8 oz)

1/4 c. canola oil

1/3 c. lime juice

1-1/2 Tbsp. chili powder, or to taste

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can green chiles

1/2 c. diced green bell pepper

1/2 c. diced red bell pepper

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup or to taste)
1/4-1/3 cup chopped vadalia onions (I added this due to preference)

1 c. chopped roma tomatoes

Preparation:

-Cook pasta according to package directions.
-In a large bowl, combine canola oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic.
-Stir in pasta and set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (I sometimes just run my pasta under cold water to chill it faster).

-Stir in corn, beans, green pepper, red pepper, chillies, and the cilantro.
-Cover and chill overnight or until ready to serve. Add chopped tomatoes just before serving.