I was invited by Kitchen Play to participate in a Progressive Dinner Party with five other food bloggers. This is not an invitation to be taken lightly. It could, in fact, send some cooks running out of the kitchen in a tizzy. Why? Well, we’re required to sign up to create a recipe for a course yet assigned, spotlighting a secret ingredient from an unnamed sponsor. Sure, why not? You know food bloggers…we’re fearless. Last week the sponsor was revealed. It was Dreamfields Pasta and my course was salad. I did the happy dance.

Dreamfields is a perfect pasta for summer because it’s a healthier and lighter carb pasta. Well, really, it’s perfect for any season of the year. Did you know Dreamfields has high fiber (5g per serving) and only 5g of digestible carbs per serving?

What makes this pasta salad “the best” is the taste. That’s tantamount, right?! It’s bright, fresh and bold. It’s also easy to make and requires little cooking so it’s perfect for a summer meal! The vegetables (zucchini, red bell pepper and fennel) remain in their natural state, uncooked. And, there’s a savory fresh orange dressing!

4.3 from 3 reviews

The Best Summer Pasta Salad

 

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Ingredients

• 1 large orange (zested and peeled)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dry seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano, fennel seed)
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• dash honey
• 1 red pepper julienned
• 1 zucchini julienned
• ½ fennel julienned
• Dreamfields Penne Pasta
• toasted pumpkin seeds
• oil cured black olives
• Parmigiano Reggiano (grated Italian cheese)

How To

1. Julienne cut vegetables and peel orange.
2. Reserve zest and fennel frond to toss with pasta.
3. Pulse orange, garlic, olive oil and dry seasonings in blender to emulsify.
4. Cook pasta according to directions, drain and toss with vegetables and dressing.

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Finishing Touches: Toss pasta with fennel fronds, oil-cured black olives, reserved orange zest, grated parmigiano reggiano and toasted pumpkin seeds. You’ll be glad you did. They bring texture, saltiness, and big bold flavors.

 Note that the garlic and dry seasonings add a layer of savoriness to the sweet and citric orange creating a sauce that dances on your palate.

Pack it Up. There’s no mayo so it can be safely transported. Take it with you and enjoy it on the road.

A Contest for Readers. Be sure to check out all 6 recipes at Kitchen Play. I’m sure there’s one you’ll want to try and Dreamfields Pasta is sponsoring a giveaway that may be of interest. All you have to do is recreate any recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen Play to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total).  The deadline is August 7, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!

Note 1. I guess Casey knows I like salad because when I was invited to participate about a half-year ago, my course was salad too. At that time I did Squash Putanesca, A Salad.

Note 2. I will be nominally compensated by Dreamfields Pasta for developing this recipe.