It's that time of year again, picnic time! While that may be very exciting in terms of outdoor grilling, the smell of bbq's and bug spray, there is one part of the picnic tradition that I could do without. Mayonaise based "salads." You know, pasta salad, potato salad, chicken salad, and worst of all, egg salad. How the heck is that a salad?? Anyway, as someone who despises mayo, this array of side dishes is very disturbing to me, and the thought of just having a hamburger is not that appealing either. My solution, my very own pasta salad, hold the mayo!
1 12 ounce box of tri color fiori- Barilla and Ronzoni are the best
1/4 of a block of pepper jack cheese, diced
1/3 of a block of monterey jack cheese, diced
1 can medium black olives
3/4 of a pint of grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
8oz diced pepperoni or salami (I found Carando deli cubes at the Big Y, what a find!!)
1 packet of good seasons Italian dressing prepared with the oil and vinegar of your choice- I use EVOO and red wine vinegar
extra salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Just boil the pasta in salted water by the directions. Drain, put into a large bowl and pour half the dressing on it, mix it well so it doesn't stick, and then put it in the fridge for a couple of hours to cool. When you're ready to eat, dice up everything, throw it all in, pour the remaining dressing on (you may not need it all, it depends on how much you like dressing) and toss. Finito! I made it last night for the first time this spring season. Love it, love it, love it! And even mayo lovers enjoy this refreshing change!
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