Honey Poppy Seed Dressing

Yes, I got the primary ingredient for this salad, a crunchy broccoli slaw, pre-shredded at Trader Joe's. But it still gets a spot on the blog because, well, it's shredded raw broccoli, plus I added some other stuff to it (almonds and craisins! Has anyone ever thought of adding those to salads before? Guys, they're really good).

The real star of the salad, though, is a homemade honey poppy seed dressing. I always like the idea of poppy seed dressings, but when I eat them from the bottle or at a restaurant I find they're often too sweet or creamy for me (and have the nutrition facts to match). This dressing is sweetened with honey rather than sugar so it isn't cloying, and has a nice bite from the apple cider vinegar and hefty dollop of mustard. I recommend adding a few big cranks of freshly cracked pepper right at the end; I tried the dressing before and after and could really taste the difference.

All Week Pasta Salad

Younger daughter here with my first post! I haven't been carrying my weight in the salad-making department, but today I made an extremely weighty salad, hoping to make up for some lost time: this veggie-laden pasta salad, so big I had to stir it in my largest pot because it didn't fit in any mixing bowls. (The photo here shows the salad after a few portions were put in lunch containers.)

The weather here on the east coast is hot and muggy, making it perfect salad weather, so I figured I'd make an enormous salad for my roommate and me (and a few friends) to eat for dinner tonight--and to eat for lunch all week. It's just a pound of pasta and whatever veggies caught my eye, and I plan to add things throughout the week to change it up: soy chicken or tofu, more beans, other veggies. It can also work with any dressing, though I've made a big bottle of Rolf's Mother's Chinese Dressing to use, now that my mom's post reminded me how much I like it!

Here's a list of what's in this iteration of the salad, though it's good with whatever vegetables are fresh and on hand:

• a pound of whole wheat elbow macaroni
• a pound of fresh broccoli, cut into small florets and tossed in with the pasta when it was almost done cooking
• ten ounces of frozen peas, tossed in with the pasta and broccoli
• a bag of carrots, peeled and shredded
• two large zucchini, shredded
• two cans of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• a bunch of radishes, sliced thin
• eight ribs of celery, chopped