Pasta salad
For years I found both the concept and the actuality of pasta salad repellent. Cold, rubbery pasta... WHY? It is quite a handy lunch item though, so I thought I'd try it again but home-made this time.
I used wholewheat fusilli (I don't eat white pasta at home).
Serves 2 or 1 hungry swimmer called Nye
1.5 cups pasta
0.5 cup frozen peas
0.5 cup low fat plain yoghurt (cream cheese, fromage frais or quark could be used)
2tsp garlic puree
1 small tin tuna, drained (mushrooms and/or olives are suitable vegetarian substitutions)
0.5 tsp bouillon powder or half a stock cube
ground pepper to taste
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the pasta, bring back to the boil and simmer for slightly longer than the packet tells you (if you like your pasta soft). Add the frozen peas a couple of minutes before the pasta is done and bring back to the boil/simmer and drain. To get the pasta to cool quicker, put it on a plate (extra washing up).
Meanwhile, mix the bouillon powder, yoghurt and ground pepper in a bowl. If using half a stock cube: put the stock cube in a cup, add a dash of hot water and mix into a paste. Allow to cool before mixing with the yoghurt etcetera. Drain the tin of tuna and add to the yoghurt mix, finally adding the cooled pasta/peas. Put in a handy lunch box.
I didn't have much time when doing this, so I didn't add stuff like mustard or herbs, but they would be good additions.
Verdict: edible and non-horrifying. Not exciting though! Good for after a swim. Not refrigerating it helped it be more palatable.
I used wholewheat fusilli (I don't eat white pasta at home).
Serves 2 or 1 hungry swimmer called Nye
1.5 cups pasta
0.5 cup frozen peas
0.5 cup low fat plain yoghurt (cream cheese, fromage frais or quark could be used)
2tsp garlic puree
1 small tin tuna, drained (mushrooms and/or olives are suitable vegetarian substitutions)
0.5 tsp bouillon powder or half a stock cube
ground pepper to taste
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the pasta, bring back to the boil and simmer for slightly longer than the packet tells you (if you like your pasta soft). Add the frozen peas a couple of minutes before the pasta is done and bring back to the boil/simmer and drain. To get the pasta to cool quicker, put it on a plate (extra washing up).
Meanwhile, mix the bouillon powder, yoghurt and ground pepper in a bowl. If using half a stock cube: put the stock cube in a cup, add a dash of hot water and mix into a paste. Allow to cool before mixing with the yoghurt etcetera. Drain the tin of tuna and add to the yoghurt mix, finally adding the cooled pasta/peas. Put in a handy lunch box.
I didn't have much time when doing this, so I didn't add stuff like mustard or herbs, but they would be good additions.
Verdict: edible and non-horrifying. Not exciting though! Good for after a swim. Not refrigerating it helped it be more palatable.