Salads

• Asian Summer Rice Salad
• Black Bean Salad
• Braised Shallot Dressing
• Creamy Green Potato Salad with Hazel Nuts
• Grilled Asparagus Salad with Raspberries,
  Blood Orange Vinaigrette, and Spicy Cashews
• Holiday Fruit Salad
• Honey Lemon Dressing
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Salad of Butter Lettuce with Julienne Red Pepper, Toasted Almonds,
  and Honey Lemon Dressing
• Ten Tips For Healthy Salads
• Wilted Spinach Salad with Polenta

Featured Salad
"The combination of fresh basil, garlic, cheese and olive oil pounded together in a mortar and pestle... is classically pesto! Toss this version of a creamier pesto, with your favorite pasta shape, and presto... you have a classically simple salad."

Pesto Pasta Salad
Makes 12 servings

Dressing:

3 cups fresh basil
4 medium garlic cloves, toasted and chopped
1 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups garbanzo beans

2 lbs cavatappi pasta (or similar curly pasta)

Blanch the basil leaves briefly in boiling water, then quickly submerse them into ice cold water. Drain and squeeze out any moisture in the basil. Chop the basil coarsely and place it in a food processor or blender. Add the garlic, pine nuts, cheeses and olive oil, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing into two pounds of freshly cooked pasta. Add the garbanzo beans. Serve this salad chilled or at room temperature.

Toasted Garlic: Raw garlic, when cut, will oxidize quickly, becoming strong, funky, hot, and overpowering. Toasting garlic ensures you that the garlic flavor and intensity will remain stable in your pesto. To toast garlic cloves, cut off the ends, leaving the skins on. In a dry sauté pan, toast garlic until lightly brown on all sides. The garlic will smell nutty, and will peel easily.