Happy Monday! Anyone else confused by this weather? Seriously, is it only February? This past weekend we enjoyed sunny and temps in the mid-70s! Ben and I had a relaxing weekend. Friday night we went downtown to Gonza Tacos y Taquila– good salsa, fish tacos and a strawberry margarita hit the spot! On Saturday, I enjoyed a nice long run on the American Tobacco Trail with Samoa to tire her out… but I think I only managed to rile her up even more. This face– I can’t resist!
Saturday night Ben and I went to a work BBQ for his company. We had a blast chatting, eating, and sipping on some brews. I can’t believe I was able to wear shorts! We contributed some deviled eggs and chili-stuffed cornbread, adapted from RecipeRunner.
One of the vegetarian dishes someone brought to the party was a big, colorful bowtie salad. I had forgotten how good this tastes during picnic season! I decided that since it’s been so warm, I might as well whip up my own version to last through the week.
Let picnic season begin!
For a creamy dressing to go on this salad, I decided to use this new-to-me hummus from Hope Foods. Hope Hummus has ten different hummus varieties including original, spicy avocado, thai coconut curry, and even dark chocolate! I love that Hope Foods values preservative-free and local ingredients, clean water, and agricultural job creation. None of which is at the expense of amazing flavor. I’ve tried the original, spicy avocado and kale pesto so far, and none of them have disappointed! Hope is based out of Colorado and can be found in all major grocery stores in the refrigerated section.
This salad is super easy to whip up, especially if you have some of these ingredients in cans in your pantry already. I semi-cheated and got a lot of them from the salad bar in Harris Teeter. That way I could get just what I needed in the right amounts.
- 1 package tri-color farfalle pasta, uncooked
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 cups chopped baby spinach
- chopped peppers, artichoke hearts, black and/or green olives, shredded carrots (about 1 1/2 cups total)
- 1 package Hope brand Kale Pesto hummus
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- Cook pasta according to package directions, minus 1 minute (to al dente). Add the broccoli in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving ~1/4 cup pasta water.
- In a large bowl, combine garlic through chopped vegetables. Add pasta and toss.
- In a mason jar, whisk together hummus, lemon juice, and reserved pasta water (add more or less depending on how thick you want your dressing- but it will thicken once cooled and added to the pasta!).
- Toss salad with dressing and feta. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
What’s your favorite way to eat hummus?
Claire Tastes 
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