Pasta Salad with Farmer's Market Veggies

Tonight, we had plans to attend POPS in the park... I had no idea what I was going to bring. I searched through my fridge and pantry, with not much time to spare, and decided to make a pasta salad with what we already had on hand.

Of course, AS SOON as I finished making this salad, a thunderstorm rolled through. It never fails, whenever we have plans to go to POPS, it rains. Always. But the pasta salad came out delicious. The measurements for the recipe aren't all exact, as I didn't measure, I just kind of threw things in.

Pasta Salad

(Print Recipe)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced with a knife or through a spiral slicer
• 1/4 cups sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup greek olives, chopped
• 1/4 cups cilantro, chopped

Dressing

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• juice from one lemon
• 1-2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• oregano, basil, salt, and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix together cooked and cooled pasta, with veggies. Whisk all ingredients for dressing together and pour over veggies and pasta. Add additional salt and pepper as needed.

This recipe is VERY versatile- use any veggies you have and even a favorite bottle of italian dressing you already have. Pasta salad is one of those things that is hard to mess up- as long as you have veggies, pasta, and decent dressing, and it will come out yummy!

Lilly and Foxy had yummy treats today too. We picked up some dog bakery treats at Canine Cafe. Here they are enjoying every minute of it.

As previously stated several times, Lilly is not a fan of other dogs. However, I would say she made some progress while Foxy was here.

Notice on the last picture, she isn't so relaxed. They were cute napping pups though!

Lilly also showed slight interest in Annaleigh's photo shoot. I think she was jealous. Usually, Lilly is the one getting photographed. Now this little human was stealing her thunder.

How could you not photograph this though?!

Our visitors have now left and the house seems very quiet and empty. I think I heard Lilly breathe a sigh of relief. Literally. Since I have a delicious pasta salad in the fridge, maybe Nate and I will have to lay out the picnic blanket in our living room and pretend we are listening to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Oh rain, why must you come at the most inopportune times?

Rain, rain, go away...