Welcome Summer: Artichoke Pasta Salad

Hello followers.  It has been a long time since I have posted.  The brief update of my past few months follows.  The HE and I have been frantically planning our upcoming wedding, I spent April and May living in Gunnison, Colorado with no internet access unless I was at the coffee shop, at the end of May we spent 2 weeks in Turkey with our dear friends Matt and Mackenzie (see Mackenzie's photos here), and we just returned from a long weekend in Telluride for the Bluegrass Festival.  All of this chaos has left little time for my dear SG.  I am sorry.


To make it up to you, I am posting my all time favorite pasta salad recipe.  I am a little bit obsessed with it actually.  It is light, tasty, and so easy I take it to a few more potlucks than I should.  Using the marinade from the artichoke hearts ties the flavor together and decreases time spent making elaborate dressing.  Win-win. So enjoy, and I will try my hardest to get something else delightful up here soon.

Artichoke Pasta Salad

Modified from allrecipes.com

• 2 cups whole wheat rotini pasta
• 1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped if desired (save ½ of marinade for dressing)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup pitted olives (green or kalamata)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Fresh Basil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add pasta and boil until al dente. Drain well and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, artichokes, pepper tomatoes, olives, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic.
3. Dressing: ½ of the artichoke marinade, vinegar and oil.  Mix well then pour over salad.
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Before serving, season the pasta dish with salt and pepper to taste.