Lunch Time...

I made this pasta salad specifically for my husband to bring for lunch. This is really a very simple, everyday dish. I saw the recipe in Foodnetwork but I made my own variation to suit our preferences.

As called for in the recipe, I used fresh pasta (found in the freezer section, Buitoni brand) but you can use the regular pasta, of course. I chose the three-cheese tortellini with parmesan, provolone and romano cheeses in it. Yum! Artichokes , smoked red pepper, red onions, and sun-dried tomato make up for the rest of the salad. The recipe originally has baby spinach in it, but my husband does not like spinach so much, and I did not have it on hand too. So to add a green color, I thought of throwing in the roasted asparagus which was a left-over from dinner earlier.
I made the salad dressing as well. The dressing has fresh garlic (made a paste out of it by smashing it with salt), thyme, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. (the ratio of acid to oil in dressings is approximately 1:3.)
So that's it... a simple but filling lunch for both my hubby and myself. Colors and textures are important especially in salads. They say you eat with your eyes first, so make your meal pretty even if it is simple.

Hope you like it.