Mexican Pasta Salad

Here in Kansas City, we got a late start with our summer season, considering we had snow the first week of May. Now, here it is the opening weekend for the NFL, and it's 102 degrees outside. Hmmm... 

Well, we Midwesterners are known for our tough resilience. It's kind of required for living in tornado alley. So, I decided to disregard Mother Nature's cruel joke and create a tailgate pasta salad that was cool, fresh and light, but still had the spicy kick of traditional football fare. 

Mexican Pasta Salad with Crispy Tortilla Strips

I started by cooking six ounces of Ronzoni Garden Delight Tricolor Rotini according to package directions. This pasta has the equivalent of a half serving of vegetables and is heart healthy with no added salt. 

I added 1/2 cup each of coarsely chopped red and green bell peppers and 1/2 cup finely chopped onion. For a little extra zing, I added one minced jalapeno pepper. And, I added one cup of cherry tomatoes, halved.

Next, I added 1/2 cup black olives, quartered; 1-1/2 cups of Mexi-corn, drained; 1-1/2 cups of beans, drained and rinsed (I chose pinto beans, but black beans would work equally well); and 4 oz diced green chili peppers. I used canned corn and beans, but fresh cooked would be even better.

I cut one avocado into chunks, drizzled them with one tablespoon of fresh lime juice and sprinkled them with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin. I cut 4 oz of reduced fat pepper jack cheese into chunks and added it and the avocado to pasta mixture, gently mixing the ingredients to protect the soft avocado.

For the dressing, I decided to mix 6 oz of non-fat Greek yogurt with Hidden Farms Fiesta Ranch dressing mix and gently stirred it into the pasta mixture to coat all the ingredients. 

As you can see, this is a super easy salad with plenty of guilt-free, robust flavor and lots of crunchy freshness. It yields about 15 half-cup servings at about 120 calories per serving, but is filling enough to serve as a entree salad with the nutritional balance of vegetables, protein, dairy and carbs. And, it's totally customizable, so you can be the coach and choose your own player ingredients to suit your team's tastes!

Mexican Pasta Salad

6 oz pasta

1/2 cup red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

1/2 cup large black olives, quartered

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cut into chunks

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

4 oz reduced fat pepper jack cheese (or cheese of choice)

1-1/2 cups Mexi-corn, drained

1-1/2 cups beans, drained and rinsed

4 oz diced green chili peppers

Dressing

6 oz non-fat Greek yogurt

1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dressing Mix

cilantro and crunchy tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add all ingredients together and mix well. Mix yogurt and dressing mix; gently stir into salad mixture. Garnish with crunchy tortilla chips and/or cilantro, if desired. 

Honey Ginger Mushrooms

After my gym workout, I wanted a dinner that was easy, but could keep up with my endorphin and adrenaline rush. I chose a sriracha salmon recipe I found on the Self magazine website (recipe here). You have seriously got to try this recipe. I've had it twice, and it's amazing how four ingredients can come together to form one spectacular dish. 

But, salmon has a lot of calories, albeit good ones. I had put in a pretty good workout, so I had some leeway, but since I wanted to enjoy a glass of wine, I had to have a little restraint. I had some baby portobello, or crimini, mushrooms that really needed to be cooked. I decided to follow the Asian flavor of the salmon and saute them in a honey ginger sauce.

I poured the sauce over the mushrooms and gave them a good toss to make sure they were coated, then cooked them in the oil until they were reduced about half. 

Crimini mushrooms have been shown in studies to be a baby boomers super food. They boost the immune system, help reduce inflammation and, because they have such a high amount of selenium, they have great antioxidant benefits, as well as B vitamins for heart health, while being very low in calories.

Add to all that goodness the anti-inflammatory and immune boosting benefits of ginger, not to mention the cancer-fighting benefits of honey, and it's not just a delicious side dish, it's a wellness bonanza.

Honey Ginger Mushrooms

1 cup mushrooms

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp dried ginger or 2 tsp fresh

1 tbsp lite soy sauce

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil or butter/margarine

Clean and cut mushrooms as desired. Mix together honey, vinegar, ginger and soy sauce until well blended in a mixing bowl. Add mushrooms and toss to coat well. Heat oil in wok or skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are reduced by almost half. Serve immediately.