Healthy Side Dishes

Greek Pasta Salad

This is an easy side dish with some great flavor. It's one of my favorites to bring to BBQs and gatherings. You could even add grilled chicken and make it a meal. I love the salty flavor of the olives and sweetness of the grape tomatoes. The dressing I used had a strong oregano flavor which I really loved. Substitute Kalmata olives instead of black to make it a truly Greek experience!

1 pint grape tomatoes halved

1 small can sliced black olives drained

1 4oz container Reduced Fat Feta cheese crumbled

1 12oz box Rotini style noodles

1 cup Fat Free Greek dressing

Boil noodles and drain when fully cooked

Rinse with cold water and let noodles cool

Half tomatoes and drain olives

Combine dressing, cheese, olives and tomatoes with cooled noddles and place in refrigerator until ready to serve

Since the noodles will soak up quite a bit of dressing, you may need to add another tablespoon or 2 and mix in right before serving

I really like this dressing
No High Fructose Corn Syrup

Pasta enriched with tomatoes,
spinach, and carrots!

Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Salad

One thing that I have been introduced to and developed a recent love for over the past few months is Quinoa. It's a great super food that can be combined with so many different things. Quinoa is gluten free and high in protein and is a wonderful alternative to pasta. The sweetness of the red bell peppers and corn combined with the smokey spice of cumin and freshness of cilantro make this a great summer dish!

1 cup Quinoa

1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained

1 15oz can corn drained

1 red bell pepper diced

1/4 C cilantro

3 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp light olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp chopped green onion

Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Add 1 C Quinoa to 1 1/2 C water in medium sauce pan and bring to boil

Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed (10-15 mins)

Drain and rinse black beans and corn, set aside

Chop bell pepper, green onion and cilantro, set aside

Once Quinoa is cooked let stand for 5-10 minutes then transfer to large bowl

Stir in Olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, paprika and salt

Add bell pepper, green onion, corn and black beans

Salad can be served warm or place in refrigerator and serve cold

Serving size: about 1 cup

Servings per recipe: 4-5