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CEiMB: Tri Color Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts & Feta

November 20, 2010 by DanicasDaily 8 Comments

Happy Saturday all!  Today has been a fantastic day doing a little relaxing, a lot of Food Network Watching and testing some fun new recipes in the kitchen. 

I am a little off on my Craving Ellie in My Belly Recipes.  I actually thought that this week’s recipe was Ellie’s Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts & Feta hosted by Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table.   Um, they are all making Cioppino ~ oops Smile

I decided to give the Eating Right Wheat Pasta (not whole wheat, but, loaded with whole grains) a try since I wanted the colors.

Eating Right Wheat RotiniEating Right Wheat Rotini Nutritional Information

I measured out 1/2 a pound of pasta and prepared the pasta a dente (10 minutes), according to the box directions.

Tri Color Pasta

Then, “roasted” some roughly chopped walnuts over medium heat in a nonstick pan for 5-7 minutes.

Roasted Walnuts

While the pasta and nuts cooked, I chopped up my veggies ~ spinach & red onion.

Chopped Veggies

I usually use Trader Joe’s Fat Free Feta or another cheese whenever recipes call for “stinky” cheeses.  However, I decided to be brave and get the real deal.

Crumbled Feta

The stats were not too bad so why go fat free.  I did learn though after one taste, it’s a lot more “feta-y” than the fat free version.

Trader Joe's Crumbled Feta Nutritional InformationFeta Cheese

After I cooled my walnuts a little, I added them along with the feta to the “pasta” bowl.

Pasta Salad Toppers

Ellie’s recipe calls for Walnut Oil.  I didn’t have any, but, I did have Macadamia Nut Oil I have been wanting to try out.

Certified Organic Macadamia Nut Oil

I LOVE the FLAVOR ~ it seriously tastes just like roasted macadamia nuts.  I can definitely see this making an appearance in some homemade salad dressings and possibly stir-fries.

Macadamia Nut Oil Nutritional Information

The consistency is a little funky, but, it’s probably because I store it in the fridge to keep it from becoming rancid to quickly. 

Garlic

After your pasta is finished cooking, drain, rinse in cold water and put it in the fridge to “chill” it before adding it to the mix.

Tri Color Rotini Pasta

The “dressing” is pretty simple, yet, completely loaded with flavors ~ Macadamia Nut Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Minced Garlic and a little Spicy Dijon Mustard.

Tri Color Pasta Salad with Walnut sand Feta

Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

Feta & Walnuts

Overall, the pasta salad was pretty tasty and super easy to make ~ start to finish took maybe 20 minutes.  The walnuts make the flavor really rich, but, the feta and dressing make me think it’s a Greek like pasta salad.

The Husband and I both agreed this would’ve been AWESOME with some BACON & TOMATOES in it

Then again, doesn’t bacon make everything better?!Open-mouthed smile

Ellie Kriegers Whole Wheat Pasta salad with walnuts and feta

Recipe #2 is coming up tomorrow ~ here is a sneak peak…..Any ideas on what it is???

A Thanksgiving inspired ravioli

Off to finish watching The Pioneer Woman’s Thanksgiving Throwdown with Bobby Flay.  I am so glad they are re-playing it since I missed it on Wednesday.

Night all!

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Filed Under: CEiMB, Recipes Tagged With: Pasta, Vegetarian

« Get your Veggies On ~ Two Healthy Holiday Side Dishes
Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Browned Butter Cranberry Pecan Sauce »

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Comments

  1. 1

    Kayte says

    November 21, 2010 at 5:05 am

    Great photos of it all…I vote we just send everyone over here for this recipe! Love the tri color pasta, makes it so pretty. Macadamia nut oil…never heard of it, but you can bet I’m going to go find some asap. We loved this salad as well….and I agree, bacon and tomatoes in it, so much the better, doing that next time as well.

    Reply
  2. 2

    Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary) says

    November 21, 2010 at 8:56 am

    Ravioli’s ?? Either way, looks DELISH.

    Reply
  3. 3

    Christine says

    November 21, 2010 at 10:40 am

    What a great way to add some spinach to a meal – I need to eat more greens. 🙂

    Reply
  4. 4

    Jen says

    November 21, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    Oh yummm!!!!!! I bet bacon would complete this meal, but it looks fantastic!!!

    Jen

    Reply
  5. 5

    Lynn (The Actors Diet) says

    November 21, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    macadamia nut oil?! sounds yummy. enjoy the rest of throwdown – unfortunately i already knew the outcome b/c i follow too many food bloggers on twitter!

    Reply
  6. 6

    Margaret says

    November 22, 2010 at 8:29 pm

    Love the idea of the macadamia oil. I’m with Kayte. We’ll just eat at your house.

    Also used the Tricolor. Love the way it looks.

    Reply
  7. 7

    Connie S says

    November 30, 2010 at 6:48 am

    The article is great but I love seeing the pictures you use. Keep up the good work.

    Reply

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About Danica

Whether she’s enjoying a dish at a local restaurant or whipping up a crowd-pleasing, nutritious meal at home, Danica has a passion for all things food. She believes in and follows the Weight Watchers principle of “all things in moderation” and chronicles her culinary adventures here. Besides sharing her daily eats and tasty, nutritious recipes, Danica connects others seeking a healthier lifestyle on her site and shares her travel adventures with her husband around the world.

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