summertime to me means lighter food. gone are the lasagnas, heavy cream soups, and pot roasts of the chilly months. warmer weather means fresh, light, and healthier for you foods. this is generally a good thing. warmer months typically means humans are walking around in skimpier clothes, showing off parts of their bodies that they normally hide behind sweaters, scarfs, boots and pants.
i love chilly months for this very reason. i am not super comfortable exposing my veined legs, chicken wing triceps, stretched out extra skinned stomach, and we all know about my winter butt. in the chilly months i can wear form fitting but completely covered up clothing with shapers galore underneath. yes it is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors.
back to food, i love a pasta salad. whenever my mamma friends have a gathering i am typically in charge of a pasta salad. i like green salads too but lettuce doesn't really like me so much, so i've discovered that almost all toppings for a green salad work beautifully and most importantly deliciously over pasta. noodles tend to soak up the flavor of the dressings, which means you have to use a little more, but remember we are cooking fresh and light because it is warm so typically these dressings aren't cream or mayonnaise based.
as most of you know i love to cook. i feel most at home in my kitchen. i adore the aroma of fresh food. the salad i made last night contained bacon (the aroma of cooking bacon is truly one of the best smells on earth), minced garlic (the smell of garlic on my hands made my top ten things that make me happy), a chiffonade of basil (have you ever chopped fresh basil? you are missing out, this aroma is divine), fresh squeezed lemons (another deliciously strong fresh aroma), avocados (they don't really smell but they are such a beautiful vibrant green) and salt and pepper. are you hungry yet? i am.
are you ready for the recipe? alright here you go. i found this one on recipe.com.
8 oz. pasta
2 medium avocados - coarsely chopped
6 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled
2/3 cup fresh basil - chiffonade (stack your basil leaves, roll and thinly slice)
2 TBSP lemon juice - about 1 large lemon
1 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 cup romano cheese (i omitted this)
salt and pepper to taste
this recipe comes together really quick. it is perfect for the summer because it doesn't warm up your kitchen by using all the appliances. if you are good with a knife, the prep work is easy peasy. the only other direction you need is to make an emulsion, whisk together really fast, the lemon juice and olive oil. pour your "dressing" over all the other ingredients, mix and eat.
Enjoy!
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