Greek Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is one of my favorite "pot-luck" picnic take along foods!!

It's healthy, colorful, low fat, high fiber and keeps well out of the refrigerator. It's easy to make large portions.

When I make a pasta salad to eat at home, I occasionally use mayonnaise. For an outdoor picnic, that's a big "no-no!" For picnics, I always used a bottled dressing for food safety reasons.

I make it the day before, so that the flavors have time to blend.

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to taste it!! I just had to have a dish for lunch.............It is addictively good!! I better hide it from the family!!

Greek Pasta Salad
1 box of Pasta, cooked al'dente and cooled
(I like the cork screw pasta for salad. It holds the flavors.)
1 jar of Artichoke Hearts, cut (about 3/4 cup)
1 can of Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
18 Black Olives, rinsed and diced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup of capers, rinsed
1/2 cup of fresh Parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of fresh Chives, chopped
1/3 bottle of Ken's Greek Salad Dressing

Mix it all together in a very large bowl. Chill for several hours or overnight.

Recipe Tip: Serve with fresh grated real Parmesan Cheese

Recipe Tip: I find that I get a more even and gentle blend if I toss it with my hands. I often use the cooled stock pot that I boiled the pasta in as my mixing bowl.

Recipe Tip: When I am cooking for a picnic or pot luck, I know that I do not have control of the food temperature. I believe it's safest to use a store bought oil based salad dressing. Ken's makes full flavored, fresh tasting salad dressings that work well with pasta.

Homemade Greek Salad Dressing or Marinade

1/4 cup of Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/4 tsp. Fresh ground Black Pepper
1 clove of Garlic, minced
1/4 cup of White Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup of Water (optional)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh Basil
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
Shake in a Salad Dressing Shaker or mix in a tall glass.
Pour over salad as needed.
I never keep fresh dressing for longer than a week in the refrigerator.

Recipe Tip: This recipe is a wonderful marinade for fish, pork, beef or chicken. I've used it to marinate chicken, beef, zucchini, squash, mushrooms and beef chunks for grilled kabobs. It has a very fresh taste.