I mentioned the other day that I was having an odd pea-ranch dressing craving. I gave into it with the first dish made in the new kitchen.
I really did consider just tossing peas with ranch dressing, but I wanted something a bit more substantial, so I expanded it into a pasta salad:
2 cups of pasta, cooked (I had switched from regular pasta to whole wheat for the various health benefits, but I admit that for some things, the wheat pasta just isn't right. My sister got me to try Barilla PLUS, which she got for my low-carb father...it tastes like regular pasta, but it's higher in fiber and protein, and it's enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. I am impressed. End of unsolicted commercial.)
Frozen peas, thawed (I used about half a bag. Since peas were half my craving, I went rather heavy on the peas.)
Two scallions, finely sliced
One large carrot, diced (to about the size of a pea)
Celery (chopped to about the size of a pea...you get the idea...and about the same amount of celery as carrot. I think it was two ribs.)
One smallish sweet pepper (diced, etc. I used yellow for the color contrast.)
Swiss cheese (diced, etc.)
Mix it all in a large bowl with enough ranch dressing to coat everything nicely.
Just as I was about to chill it, I realized I hadn't seasoned it at all. The first bottle I saw when I opened the new cabinet was Mrs. Dash, and I figured, what the hell, it's a blend...one stop shop. So I added several shakes of Mrs. Dash, stired it again, and chilled it for a few hours. Just before serving, I sprinkled it with sliced almonds.
We had it for dinner Sunday night (with garden burgers and sweet potato oven fries), I've been eating the leftovers for lunch this week, and I'm still pleased. And the pea & ranch dressing craving is sated.
If I were in a meat-eating mood, I'd add diced ham or bacon.
Posted by Nic at June 14, 2005 12:33 PM