Grandma's Pasta Salad (with a twist!)

My grandma has always made that kinda pasta salad you can't stop eating. I decided to take her delicious recipe and not only make it healthier with whole wheat, but also a meal in itself with more protein.

The core ingredients are solid, but for the seasoning, feel free to get creative with measurements. Check out what's in your spice cabinet. Maybe you're more of a sweet kind of gal, so a dash of sugar may do the trick for you. Or try different kinds of mustards. Make this dish your recipe with the seasonings.

Always remember, when possible, buy organic, fair trade and free range from a trusted retailer!

Ingredients:

• 9 oz whole grain pasta
• 12 oz hardwood smoked bacon
• 6 eggs
• 6 pickle spears
• 1 celery stalk
• 6 slices roasted red pepper
• 3 oz black olives

Seasoning (add to taste, using as little mayo as possible):

• Mustard
• Mayo
• Dill Seasoning
• Splash of pickle juice
• Sea Salt
• Parmesan cheese
• Sriracha (for a little kick!)

Cook all the bacon in a pan, flipping until crispy. When finished, turn stove off and cover.

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil, add pasta and a dash of sea salt and bring back to a boil for about 8 minutes (until pasta is al dente). When finished, turn stove off, drain and cover.

And use my mom's foolproof hard-boiled egg method...

Put all the eggs in a pan fully covered with water that's been salted for 10 seconds. Boil on High for 5 minutes. Finish on Medium Heat for 17 minutes. When finished, drain and fill the pan with cold water.

Then dice pickles, celery, red peppers, black olives, bacon, eggs (if you're watching your cholesterol, remove half the yolks from the batch) and add to drained pasta.

In a mixing bowl, add mustard, mayo, salt and parmesan to taste, and try to use as little mayo as possible. Then I like to add dill seasoning and a splash of pickle juice (I'm a salty kind of gal). Then add Sriracha (I love a good kick). Then mix this seasoning into the pasta salad.

Let the pasta salad cool in the fridge for 3-4 hours and enjoy!

Makes about 8 servings.

To check out some of Jill's artistic creations (including her blog), visit her artist website: facebook.com/jilltheartist

Super Creamy Dairy Free Mexican Squash Soup with Crostini

I love squash all kinds of squash, so much that I always plant as many varieties as I can in our garden. One of my favorites is the Mexican squash also sometimes called summer squash. I love its flavor and texture. It is very similar to the Italian zucchini just way way more flavorful. You can find it in any Latin market or some farmer markets. Right now in California it is in season so this is the best time to cook with it. Let’s get started with this simple and delicious recipe:

Pictured: Mexican Squash Plant from my Garden

Ingredients for Soup:

4 Mexican squash

1 ½ white onion

2 qts chicken broth. Vegan alternative vegetable broth low sodium

3 Bay leaves

2 tbs canola oil

Salt

Black pepper

4 springs Fresh cilantro

Ingredients for Crostini:

1 rustic baguette roll

3 tbs olive oil

Salt

Start by chopping the squash into squares and chop the onions in slices.

Pictured: Chopped Mexican Squash

Put the canola oil in the pot and add the onions. We want to caramelize the onions a little bit, to accomplish this lower the flame to medium and move the onions for a few minutes.

Pictured: Onions

Add the Mexican squash with the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. You will see that the squash will change color and it will get soft.

Pictured: Squash, Onions, Salt & Pepper

Add the chicken broth to the squash and onions. If you want to make this recipe Vegan just use Vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil and let it cook for about 5 minutes. After that use a hand blender/emulsifier to blend the soup.

Pictured: Hand Blender/emulsifier

That will create the creamy smooth consistency of our soup. Add the bay leaves and let it cook for 20 minutes. Lower the flame to low.

 

Pictured: Soup with Bay Leaves

To make the crostini the first thing you want to do is turn your oven on at 380°F. Slice the baguette as thinly as possible. 

Pictured: Rustic Baguette

Arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on both sides of the bread. You can use a brush for this. Season the bread lightly with salt.

Pictured: Rustic Baguette

Our soon to be crostinis are ready to go in the oven bake them for 10-12 minutes. We want them to be slightly brown and crunchy.

Pictured: Crostini

Garnish the soup with a little bit of cilantro. Buen provecho!

Pictured: Mexican Squash Soup with Crostini