PIZZA PASTA SALAD

This recipe has become one of my go-to recipes for potlucks and family dinners because it is so easy and everyone loves it!

Pizza Pasta Salad

16 oz. rotini pasta
1 cup pepperoni, diced (I used a 5 oz bag of the mini pepperonis to save time)
1 can olives, sliced
1 cup mozzarella, cut into small pieces (I usually use about 6 string cheeses-they work so great for this!)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup tomatoes, diced (I usually leave these out since my family is not a huge fan of tomatoes!)
1 bottle of Bernstein’s Restaurant Recipe Italian dressing (I have tried several different kinds of Italian dressing and this one really is the best in this recipe-it makes it so yummy! It’s not very expensive and I’ve been able to find it at most grocery stores.)

Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is boiling, you can get everything else ready to assemble. Cut up the cheese, olives and pepperoni if needed.

When pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve. You can serve it immediately if necessary, but is ideal to let it chill for at least a few hours before serving. I like to prepare this the night before so everything has a bit of a chance to marinate. Just make sure to re-stir everything up again right before serving to make sure the dressing is well mixed!

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Granola

I’ve been craving carrot cake for weeks, but summer’s coming up quickly and I really don’t need to be eating cake right now. I decided to make carrot cake granola instead! It’s loaded with all of the goodies that you’d find in your favorite carrot cake: coconut, walnuts, raisins, and warm spices. I even got all trendy and threw in some quinoa, which adds a nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture. This is one of my new favorite treats – I keep disappearing into the kitchen to sneak a hand full. It’s also great sprinkled over yogurt – I recommend coconut or lemon!

Because the carrots and quinoa add so much moisture to this granola, it takes longer to make than my other granola recipes – about an hour total. You’ll start it at high heat to toast the oats and walnuts, then reduce the heat to dehydrate the carrots. The result is a great combination of crunchy, chewy, and soft textures. It’s also my contribution to this month’s leftover club, where food bloggers ship their leftovers to faraway friends. A bag of this carrot cake granola is headed off to Dani from Dining with Dani. I hope he likes it as much as I do! Be sure to check out the bottom of this post to see what everyone else made this month!

Carrot Cake Granola

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

Author: Lauren Keating (Healthy-Delicious.com)

Serves: 20

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded carrot (about 2)
¾ cup cooked quinoa
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
dash salt
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup raisins

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment.
Mix fist 10 ingredients (through salt). In a separate bowl, mix together honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; mix thoroughly. Spread in a thin layer on the baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes; stir. Reduce heat to 225F and bake 45 minutes, or until ingredients are dry and toasted. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in raisins.
Store in an airtight container.

Calories: 115 Fat: 5 Carbohydrates: 15.5 Fiber: 2 Protein: 3

3.2.1652

Check out what everyone else made this month! (I was the lucky recipient of the Pancakes and Bacon Cookies… Um, Yum!!!)

Don’t you wish you could enjoy some of these leftovers with us? You can! Visit The Leftovers Club for more details!

Summer Shish Kebabs

Summer is officially two days away, but I have already been enjoying plenty of my favorite summertime dishes for the past few weeks. One of them includes these chicken and vegetable shish kebabs with NatureBox dried pineapple to add some sweetness to the mix. They are easily made on an indoor grill (such as a George Foreman grill) or grilling pan, but of course they are also great for outdoor BBQing! For these summer shish kebabs, I used teriyaki marinated chicken and slices of red bell pepper, yellow and zucchini squash, onion, and dried pineapple. You can get creative with the vegetables, fruits and meats you combine together for your shish kebabs. Do you have a favorite combination?

Check out this recipe of the NatureBox blog this week here!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Summer Shish Kebabs

Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

6 mins

Total

1 hour 6 mins

Type: Main

Serves: 8

Ingredients

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 zucchini squash, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
½ yellow onion, chopped
8 NatureBox Big Island Pineapple slices, quartered [www.naturebox.com]
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 wooden skewers

Instructions

In a shallow bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil and honey.
Add the cubed chicken breasts and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours.
Soak the wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes (to prevent them from burning).
After the chicken has marinated, preheat an indoor grill pan over medium heat.
Add the chicken, pineapple, squash, bell pepper and onion to the skewers, alternating.
Grill until the chicken us cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. The chicken will be done when the juices run clear and the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

Makes 8 kebabs

3.2.2045

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PIZZA PASTA SALAD

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