Wow this salad is not just good it's down right addicting!

Well, sorry don't even have a picture of this one.....I made it last night with no planning, no recipe just out of my head and it turned out so good that we had it eaten completely before I could even think to photograph it, so you will just have to take my word for it and I will load a pic the next time I make it, which will be for a design workshop I am participating in this weekend.


Italian Pasta Summer Salad ( Wheat free!)

1 8 oz package of spelt or rice Penne or corkscrew spiral pasta cooked according to directions and rinsed and cooled

1 8 oz package of Feta cheese crumbled, including any juices

4-5 T of olive oil

1 Large cucumber

1-2 carrots grated

3 large tomatoes

Sea salt to taste

5 Pepperoncini Peppers

Juice from the Pepperoncini

1 small can of chopped olives

1 purple shallot cut up very fine.


To make-

boil and prepare pasta according to directions or cook as much as a minute less than the package directions, be careful not to over cook.  Once cooked, drain immediately and rinse in cold water and put into fridge while you work on other ingredients

Chop tomatoes into large chunks.  Peel cucumber in strips leaving strips of dark green peel on.  Then chop into large chunks. Cut Shallot up very very fine. Grate carrots, if possible not with a fine grater. Cut Pepperoncinis into small small pieces.

Dump these veggies into a large serving bowl and add to the bowl the crumbled Feta and juices, add the olive oil, add sea salt and also pour in several tablespoons of the juice from the Pepperoncinis.  Last of all add in pasta and mix.  Taste and add more sea salt and pepperoncini juice to taste.  Chill and serve if you can resist not eating it all on the spot.

This will also work nicely with adding in spinach.  To do this take a standard package of chopped frozen spinach.  Thaw and squeeze out excess liquid and add.  I have made a similar salad with spinach in the past.

This recipe is fast and really really good, nice in summer, easy to double and can be an entire meal.  You could also add in salami to make it even more like a meal and I believe it would do well with garbanzo beans too, but have to try it with both to tell you for sure.

Hope you like it as much as I do!