Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad

Yesterday, I actually sat down and planned out a week of menu ideas. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to hit the grocery store until today. Still, here is my first vegan dish. I thought it was very tasty! Jeff enjoyed it, too, but I didn't realize that he doesn't care much for pasta salads. Oh well, more for me! :-)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz rotini
• 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1/2 roma tomato, diced
• 2 radishes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Annie's Natural Goddess dressing

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook rotini according to package. Drain well and rinse with cool water. Transfer to a large bowl.

2.  While pasta is cooking, prep vegetables. Add all the vegetables to the cooked pasta. Drizzle with 1/3 to 1/2 bottle of dressing  and toss gently to combine.

*Recipe adapted from Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad with Inner Goddess Dressing. Vegan on the Cheap. pg. 85.

Potato Salad

My sister (not the co-auther of this blog, another sister) is generally the potato salad maker, but I had a lot of potatoes to use up, so I figured a potato salad would be perfect. I searched online and found this recipe, which I have modified into a tasty version of my own. Jeff, who normally doesn't care much for potato salad, surprised me by not only liking this concoction but also having multiple servings. Now that's what I call success!

Yields 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup salad dressing (e.g. Miracle Whip®)
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dried, minced onion
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ cup sliced celery
• Paprika, to taste

Directions:
1. Place potatoes into a large pot of salted water; bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop into 1 inch cubes. Place in a medium bowl.

2. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 12 to 14 minutes. Drain water and immediately add cold water and/or ice. Peel and dice.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, salad dressing, dijon mustard, milk, vinegar, onions, Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes, and mix together with the eggs and celery. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.