Recipe of the Day: Broccoli, Ham & Pasta Salad (minus the ham)

Let me start out by saying I really hate doing dishes. I mean, is there anyone out there who actually LIKES cleaning up after they cook? Because, personally for me, I absolutely despise this chore. I don’t know if it is because my parents always made my brother and I do the dishes almost every night growing up (in our house the rule was, you cook, everyone else cleans), but I rather stick a fork in my eye than do the dishes. It doesn’t help that Mike hates doing dishes as well. But, the other issue is I can’t stand if they sit in the sink, so I end up doing them anyway…grrr, it is a constant circle of madness.

Anyway, enough of me venting…down to the important part of my day, eating. I am dedicating this recipe to my ole buddy/coworker, Julian, who not only has decided to give up sugar, but is now in the process of becoming Vegan. Now that I think about it, this recipe wouldn’t work for him because it has dairy in it. Whatever, it is the thought that counts. Check out his sugar free blog.

This is a home made pasta salad recipe which I made vegetarian by leaving the ham out. If you want ham, then go for it, I am not stopping you. For the full recipe, click here.

Here is how it all went down:

Step 1: Boil the pasta. I like this pasta I found at Whole Foods made by “365”:

Step 2: While the pasta is boiling, combine the ingredients for the cream sauce (I only use 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar instead of 3 like the recipe calls for; 3 is too much for me)

I found our rice vinegar at the H and L supermarket. This place is AWESOME! They have everything you need for Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc. I have spent $4 there to make a meal that lasted me for 4 days!!!

Step 3: Mix it up

Step 4: Drain the pasta when it is finished boiling and add the chopped onions, peppers, and broccoli (I like to steam my broccoli first before adding it, but I am sure it is good raw too)

MMmmmmmmm...

Step 5: Add the cream sauce and stir it up. Add as much or as little as you want, then refrigerate for at least an hour, and enjoy! It is great to have for lunch during the week or as a little side dish for a cookout.