Recipe Alert: Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Hello Everyone,

As promised from yesterday, here is my recipe for my Mediterranean Pasta Salad.  I had this twice for lunch this week and it is delicious!  This dish is so flavorful and hearty you will love it.  Just a side note, 2oz. of uncooked pasta yields to one cup of cooked pasta.  So, make 2oz and you will have two portions.  If you don't know what two ounces of pasta looks like, get a cheap scale.  I bought one from Target for less than six bucks!

Ingredients:
1/2c of cooked whole wheat pasta
1c of mushrooms, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1c of spinach, fresh or frozen
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic, shredded
2tsp. of chili powder
1/4c of crumbled feta cheese
1TB of of EVOO
1TB of balsamic vinegar

Preparation:
Place the mushrooms, celery and spinach, garlic and chili powder in a saute pan. Place on medium heat and saute until spinach has wilted or completely defrosted. If necessary, add a little bit of water.  Once the veggies have sauteed, place them in a bowl.  Add the pasta and toss.  Add, the cherry tomatoes.  Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and EVOO and toss.  Top with the feta cheese.  Enjoy!

Here's the breakdown:
Whole Grain:  Pasta
Lean Protein:  feta cheese
Plant Fat:  EVOO
Produce:  mushrooms, celery and spinach
Sass:  garlic, chili powder