Weekend Wine and A Pasta Salad !

The weekend is upon us and since spring is upon us also, maybe you plan to do some work outside in your garden or yard. If so, you may not have much time to spend on fixing lunch so here is a great Pasta Salad to whip up in between getting your hands dirty!



This is a Tuna Pasta Salad that I have been making for years so all I have to do is gather up the ingredients and click on the recipe in my brain, which sometimes can be…oh, never mind. On with the pasta salad!

¼ lbs. of fresh green beans, cut into inch pieces and blanched for about 4 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. I have also used frozen beans, just barely cooked to retain some crispness.
6 oz. of Dreamfields Rotini Pasta cooked according to package directions, drained and rinsed under cold water and drained again.
1 can or package of solid white tuna packed in water, drained
3 green onions chopped
1 large tomato seeded and chopped, or sometimes I use a good handful of cherry tomatoes
¼ cup chopped black olives
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon celery seeds, optional

I mix the mayo, vinegar and celery seeds in a separate bowl. I toss all of the other ingredients together in a big bowl and then add the dressing and toss again. That is it! What makes this salad so good are the green beans and onions, which give it a nice crunch, the smooth pasta and the nice bite the vinegar adds to the dish!



Let me tell you, Dreamfields Pasta has been a great find for me. I have tried many of the “healthy” pastas on the market, but found Dreamfields to have that authentic pasta taste with only 5 grams of digestible carbs per serving, cholesterol free and 0 grams of trans fat! Dreamfields has twice the fiber of regular pasta because it contains a special fiber, Inulin, which has been shown scientifically to promote digestive health and support a healthy immune system while enhancing calcium absorption! I need all of that at my age!



Another thing I need at my age is a good glass of wine to kick off the weekend. It has been awhile since I have had a nice “Dry Riesling” so I picked up one of my favorites at the store the other day. You cannot go wrong with the 2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Most Rieslings are a bit sweet but a Dry Riesling does not have a lot of residual sugar left in the wine, therefore it is not as sweet. Ste. Michelle’s Dry Riesling has mouth watering aromas of melon and peach on the opening and those same flavors are echoed in the mouth as you sip. On the palate I also noted a hint of crisp green apple which added to the nice clean finish of this wine.
At $10.99, what a way to start the end of your day! Have a great weekend!
Cheers!

Wine & Harvest Salsa

Wine, weather and farmers market harvest! What more could you ask for to make a perfect summer weekend! Well, a nice long bike ride in late afternoon to take in the smells and sights of summer put a nice touch on the weekend also!

Our Farmers Market this weekend was packed with fresh corn on the cob, heirloom tomatoes, green tomatoes, a variety of hot peppers, zucchini, many varieties of lettuce, kale, green beans, carrots, fresh flowers - I could just go on and on. What you see in the photo is just the "tip of the iceberg" as to what I hauled home. But one of my best finds this week was tomatillos! Those cute little green tomato looking gems with the lovely little sticky jackets around them. When I got a look at those I thought, SALSA! So we had salsa this weekend with every dish I conjured up. One of the best was charcoal grilled tuna, as we used the salsa on the tuna. The next night it was grouper on the grill with a side of salsa. So fresh and crunchy from the hot peppers, green onions and those lovely tomatillos added more crunch and a hint of lime flavor. Here is a simple salsa I whipped up from the market goodies.

Salsa by Deb

3 heirloom tomatoes, you can use any kind that are fresh

4 tomatillos

1 hot wax pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper

1 good bunch of green onions

1 good splash of extra virgin olive oil

1 good splash of red wine vinegar to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Chop up your veggies and add the oil and vinegar and you have yourself a yummy quick fresh salsa. Also let it set for about an hour before you use it as the flavors need to combine.

Before and with dinner I had chilled a bottle of 2005 Covey Run Dry Riesling, as I knew the flavors of this would pair well with our fish and salsa. Covey Run Dry Riesling is located in Columbia Valley, Washington State. Riesling is Washington States most versatile wine and this wine is proof of just that. I choose a Dry Riesling, as I find them not quite as sweet as a regular Riesling. The Riesling grape is high in acidity so they make the wine with a certain amount of residual sugar to balance the tartness. Covey Run is made with 100% Riesling grapes and the volume of alcohol is 12.5%. After popping the cork, I was breathing in the aromas of peach and honeysuckle. On the palate was loads of honey and peach and this Riesling had just enough sweetness to round off the racey acidity and citrus peel flavors I was tasting also. It had a nice full and long finish.

A nice start to the finish of a lovely summer weekend!

Cheers!