South of the Border Pasta Salad

Summer is all about picnics and backyard barbecues with friends, family and neighbors. If we're hosting the get-together, then I have no problems making sure there's something for me to eat, but what to do when someone else is in charge of food? Instead of trying to explain my dietary restrictions to the host, I just offer to provide a few items.

I like to bring along a side dish and a dessert. Pasta salads are the perfect summer side dish, because they are quite hardy. If the main dish isn't MSPI-friendly, then I can load up on my pasta salad and not starve!

We headed over to our neighbors' house for the Fourth of July. They were serving tacos, so this pasta salad, which was adapted from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations, was a perfect accompaniment.


South of the Border Pasta Salad

1 lb. rotini (corkscrew) pasta, cooked and rinsed under cold water
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1-1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Toss together first eight ingredients in a large bowl. For the dressing, place the rest of the ingredients into a jar. Put lid on top and shake well before pouring onto pasta salad. Stir everything together.

Cover and chill salad in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

Quick Start with MSPI Mama: This is one of my Quick Start recipes.