Pepper Garlic Dressing for Pasta Salad
all veggies should be raw
1/2 a green bell pepper diced
1/2 a yellow bell pepper diced
1/2 a med size white onion diced
3 cloves of garlic diced
1-2 chili peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 pinches of sea salt
1 box penne pasta (or your favorite)
I'm a southern cook so I guessed how much oil, lemon juice, and vinegar I put in. Use your best judgment.
Cook your pasta following the directions on the box.
While pasta is cooking, place all ingredients in a food processor and let it go till everything is nice and blended (how long depends on how chunky you want the veggies).
Drain Pasta when done and add dressing. Mix well.
Serve hot or let it sit overnight in the frig for a major flavor burst.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Delicious! I had to modify a bit, based on current supplies: used 1 whole green bell instead of half green/ half yellow; subbed a bunch of garlic powder (2 tsp-ish) for fresh garlic; & subbed a bunch of freshly ground black pepper (about 1-1/2 tsp-- I wanted to really taste both the pepper & garlic) for the chili peppers. Also used fresh basil/ oregano/ parsley (sm. handful each) vs. dried Italian seasoning, 'cause that's what I've got; and added an extra 1-2 Tbsp of EV olive oil, just b/c I like it!
Will def'ly make this dressing again... ate it w/ hot penne pasta, sliced black olives, & toasted pine nuts. Yummy, yummy, yummy! The pine nuts were great with the dressing... next time I may grind pine nuts (or cashews?) in the blender 1st, & blend 'em into the dressing.... also, I may have to try this with roasted peppers; I be that would be even creamier (the raw peppers' skins keep it from being completely smooth-- though that's not a problem, given the lovely flavor). Thanks for the idea!
This looks delicious! I love the idea of putting healthy, tasty veggies into the dressing for pasta salad as well as having them in as pasta co-stars. Yum!