ENDLESS SUMMER SALAD

A Porch Perfect Summer Salad

This is a revelation from the kitchen. You begin with a bag salad.....Endless Summer by Dole and add the best fresh farm stand vegetables! Where are you off to this summer? A lakeside retreat, the beach, the mountains or just lounging by the pool? How about spending lazy afternoons on the porch swing listening to the sweet sounds of summer! This refreshing and healthy salad will help you bring on the sunshine. It was a brilliant invention I tell you!!

 

 

The Divine Miss M gets credit for turning us on to this new salad blend.

The dressing, along with the garnishes make a delightful and light side salad.

I loved kicking it up a notch or two with fresh veggies I had on hand!

 

Perfect for backyard entertaining!

 

 

ENDLESS SUMMER SALAD

½ lb. rigatoni pasta or cavatappi
1 T. fresh parsley
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
¼ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
2 t. Dijon mustard
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup ranch dressing
1 t. vinegar
½ lb. bacon, fried and broken into bits
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced fresh zucchini
1 cup sliced fresh cucumber
½ fresh sliced radishes
½ cup fresh sweet peppers, red, orange and yellow
Texas Toast seasoned croutons
1 bag Dole Endless Summer Salad-this comes with it’s own dressing and garnishes, but I reserved these packets for later use.

 

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again and immediately pour the pasta in a mixing bowl. Add fresh parsley, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to the pasta and blend together. Allow this to sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the salad.

 Prepare the bacon, and pat with paper towels to soak up any grease. Crumble into bits. This will be your topping, along with the croutons.

 In a small mixing bowl, mix the mayonnaise, ranch dressing and vinegar. Stir to mix well.

 In a large serving bowl, combine the Endless Summer Salad, fresh veggies, pasta fold gently to combine. Pour the dressing over all and blend. Top with bacon crumbles and croutons!