Garden Pasta Salad

I made this salad tonight and everyone LOVED it. I did not add basil or sugar, as I am not particularly fond of either flavor in a salad, but otherwise I made it as written. Yum! Both kids loved it also, but both picked their favorite ingredients out and ate those. Well worth it. =)

Garden Pasta Salad Ingredients 1/2 pound (225 g) uncooked small shell macaroni  1/2 pound (225 g) fresh green beans, cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths  1 pound (450 g) tomatoes, diced  1 can (15 ounces - 425 g) red kidney bean, rinsed and drained  1/4 cup finely chopped red onion  1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves  3 tablespoons naturally brewed lite soy sauce  3 tablespoons white wine vinegar  3 tablespoons vegetable oil  1 clove garlic, pressed 1 teaspoon sugar  1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper  Directions 1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and rinse immediately under cold water to cool. Drain well. 2. Cook green beans in steamer basket over boiling water in covered saucepan about 10 minutes, or until tender. Cool beans under cold water. Drain well. 3. Combine macaroni, green beans, tomatoes, kidney beans and onion in large bowl. 4. Add basil, lite soy sauce, vinegar, oil, garlic, sugar and black pepper into a jar with screw-top lid. Cover and shake well. Pour over macaroni mixture. Toss gently to coat all ingredients. 5. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to blend flavors, tossing occasionally. Yield Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Lentil-Bulgur Salad - victory!

Well I am impressed. For lunch today for my 2-year-old and me, I put out the bulgur salad I made yesterday, and a few much less healthy options. He rejected the unhealthy stuff all together, and went for the healthy salad with gusto! He then started to feed it to me, making engine sounds as we do sometimes when feeding him (train in the tunnel, airplane, etc.) Awesome! =) I also ate it with gusto, supplementing with a little cheese, but only a little! Very cool. 

Lentil-Bulgur Salad

I've been doing some searching on the internet for healthy "holistic" recipes. I found one on (I'm almost positive) 1stHolistic.com that I just made, and am munching away on as I write this. It's very earthy and requires a love for grains, but I like it a lot, and will most likely be eating most of it myself. =) My dear son and daughter both had a bite, but that was it. My hubby wouldn't take a bite, but he doesn't like feta cheese....

Anyhow, if anyone is interested in a recipe for a grainy, herby salad with tomato and onion and pepper and of course, feta cheese, let me know, and I'll type in the recipe here. Other than the feta cheese, which is high in saturated fat, the salad is very healthy!