These ingredients made a salad that would serve 8 to 10 people. This is a festive dish to make for a party or pot-luck.

These ingredients made a salad that would serve 8 to 10 people. This is a festive dish to make for a party or pot-luck.

This recipe makes enough for 8 people

3 bell peppers – red, orange and yellow
1 bunch fresh organic radishes
1 small jicama, peeled
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup lime juice
½ cup oil (walnut or olive)
½ cup fresh tomato salsa, hot or mild
½ cup crumbled goat cheese or ricotta salata
1 cup (uncooked) back bean pasta or 1 can black beans
salt and pepper to taste

I discovered a black bean pasta at the store and wanted to try it, so I decided that it made the perfect ingredient in a fresh, crunchy salad with a lime dressing. I discovered that it’s essential to remove this pasta from the water when it’s still a tad crunchy – definitely on the al dente side – since otherwise it will get too mushy.

Chop all the veggies into small pieces and put in a bowl with the chopped cilantro. Add the chopped cheese. Mix the lime juice, oil and salsa together while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is done drain it and put it into a separate bowl for four or five minutes to cool slightly. Toss the pasta with dressing to cool it further and add to the veggies. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least a half hour to blend the flavors.

If you use spicy salsa this salad has both freshness and heat!

If you use spicy salsa this salad has both freshness and heat!

The crunch of the veggies is balanced by the smoothness of the cheese and the pasta or beans. Vegans could cut up tofu into squares instead of cheese – marinate those pieces in some oil and lime juice before adding them to the salad.

This recipe would also be good with cumin and cayenne pepper seasonings.

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