Mexican Macaroni Salad

I am on a serious pasta salad kick lately! Do they have a 12 step program for that? If so, I need to find myself a meeting. At least I've admitted my problem,  that's the first step, I think. Anyways, back to the pasta... This is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman that I changed very slightly and absolutely love! It's  fun and colorful too!

For the salad:
1 lb pasta cooked, drained and cooled (I prefer large macaroni noodles)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 Roma tomatoes,  diced
1/2 cup chopped olives (I use more )
3-4 green onions,  thinly sliced
Cilantro, about 1/3 cup chopped

For the dressing:
1 cup chunky salsa (feel free to make it spicy )
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin

Prep your ingredients  (that's the hardest part). Toss your salad ingredients together. Mix your dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss to combine. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese Salad

Fred Meyer sells this fantastic salad in their deli called mac and cheese salad. They don't have it in their deli case very often but when they do,  I'm in heaven! I thought I'd make an attempt at recreating it at home and I hit the nail on the head, first try!!

1 lb cavatappi pasta, cooked and drained and rinsed with cold water
1 very large handful of spinach leaves  (about 1/4-1/3 of  a 10oz bag), chopped into large pieces
3 green onions,  thinly sliced
2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup of mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss your cooked,  cooled pasta with the spinach, onions and feta. Mix the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Add that to the other ingredients and toss to coat. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Fried Rice

I love fried rice! I make it at home occasionally but I always use a seasoning packet for the flavor in my rice. Well, I went on a mission the other day to find a few fried rice recipes online and adapt them to make my own. I'd say my mission was successful! You could add pork, chicken or shrimp to this to suit your fancy but it really does rock all on it's own! Do not skip any of the ingredients, please... seriously.  Okay , maybe the green onion or swap some veggies out but don't mess with the butter, sauces or oil!

2 cups of uncooked rice (prepare then chill)
4 eggs scrambled (I just do mine in a bowl in the microwave and then chop them up a bit)
2 cups veggies (I like to use frozen peas,  carrots, and edamame)
3 cloves minced garlic
3-4 them sliced green onions
3 tablespoons of butter (this is the secret to good fried rice)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 tablespoons of soy sauce (more to taste)
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Heat your large pan up, just a bit higher than medium heat. Make sure it is completely hot. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. In the melted butter, saute your vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute or so. Remove vegetable and place aside. Give your pan another few minutes to hear back up again. Melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter. Add cold rice, oyster sauce,  soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well and let rice brown slightly (hence the "fried " in the title). After it's done browning slightly (5 minutes or so) add egg, vegetables,  sliced green onion and sesame oil. Mix well and serve!!!

To make chicken fried rice, dice 2 chicken breasts up and marinate in a little sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook and add to the rice.

Enjoy!