Southwest Pasta Salad

Sam's mom gave me this recipe and I love it. It's really easy to make and is great for potlucks. But be aware, the whole recipe makes a ton of salad. If I'm just feeding our family, I half the recipe and we still have leftovers. Anna likes it warmed.

I put *asterisks* around ingredients I usually leave out and {brackets} around ingredients I like to add

SOUTHWEST PASTA SALAD

Cook 1 pound tricolor pasta until al dente; do not overcook

In a large bowl, combine the pasta with

½ cup finely chopped red onions

*½ green pepper, finely chopped*

1 cup frozen or canned corn(I just use a whole can of corn)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 small can chopped green chili peppers (sometimes I leave these out and it's still good)

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, or black beans rinsed and drained (I still use the whole can, even when I half the recipe)

4 ounces cubed or shredded cheese (cheddar, taco mix, or colby jack works well)

{half to a whole avocado}

{one or two tomatoes, or some salsa}

{one or two whole green onions}

{chopped black olives}

{some chicken that I stir fried in garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano)

Whisk together these sauce ingredients in small bowl and then pour over those in the large bowl

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp chicken or vegetable broth

5 Tbsp white-wine vinegar

3 Tbsp tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

Best Pre-prepared Meals

These are foods you can buy, put on the shelf or freezer, and eat them a few months later with zero preparation and they still taste really good.

Frozen Entrees:

Bertolli: Shrimp Asparagus and Penne
The asparagus is not soggy or stringy.

Tandoor Chef: Vegetable Pad Thai
There are some really awful ones out there, but this one is tasty. Lots of veggies.

Kashi: Lemongrass Coconut Chicken (have you seen the Onion parody about warning labels on frozen entrees?) The spices and barley make this one interesting.


Sweet and Cold:

Greek Gods: Greek yogurt with honey
Greek yogurt has more fat and is thicker than regular yogurt.

Dole: Tropical Gold Pineapple
Tastes more like fresh pineapple than canned.

Dole: bottled halved apricots and mandarin oranges
In the canned fruit section

Bolthouse Farms: smoothies
I'm not sure how long these will last.  I like them too much to try the experiment.

cinnamon applesauce


Snacks:

 Triscuits, Deli Style Rye
It's those caraway seeds.

Kirkland pine nuts
These are from Asia so they're cheaper than European pine nuts.

Anyone else have some recommendations that fit these restrictions?

Marmalade, Turkey, and Baby Spinach on Rye Sandwich

You need to think of this not as a sandwich, but as a salad with two unreasonably large and fresh croûtons.