A Healthy, Colorful Pasta Salad

I made this salad for lunch this afternoon and let me tell you it was fabulous.  Pasta salads can get a little bit blah so I made it interesting (and healthy) by adding some broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes and red peppers... All the different colors involved made it a feast for the eyes as well as for the tummy (I don't know about you, but I am so much more likely to enjoy something if it looks pretty).

I used a lemon and honey vinaigrette for this recipe and it resulted in the perfect tangy-but-sweet combination.

Pair this salad with a creamy tomato soup and you're all set for your light Sunday brunch this weekend.

To make this dish you will need:
2 cups fussili pasta (uncooked cups that is)
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 cup of thinly sliced peppers (I used red pepper)
Handful of chopped parsley
1 cup cherry tomatoes

For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
4 to 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Boil the pasta according to package instructions until al dente
2. Set the pasta aside when done to cool, coat it in a teaspoon of olive oil so that it doesn't stick together.
3. Add the broccoli florets and peppers. The broccoli should be cooked in boiling water for no more than 4 minutes - you want them to still have a good "crunch" in them.  Once you remove them from the boiling water, run them under cold tap water so that they stop cooking,

Tip: Don't throw away the broccoli stems - they taste fantastic in a stir fry or in fried rice

4. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and throw them into the mix
5. Add the onions to the mixture - make sure they are thinly sliced, we don't want any chunky pieces in here.
6. Add the parsley.
7. Make the vinaigrette by mixing all the ingredients together with a whisk. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary - you may add more lemon juice if you wish.
8. Add the vinaigrette to the salad and mix it to make sure that all the ingredients are well-coated.
9. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.

Enjoy!!

Serves 6

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