Italian Black-eyed pea and Bean Pasta Salad Recipe

 I love to cook! I tease everyone all the time that I really don't like to cook, but, seriously...I love the organization of it all. I take recipes, the sale papers, coupons and prepare my menus for two weeks at a time. Then I know what I have the pantry to freezer as well as what we are having for the days ahead. I may tweak the recipes or plans a bit, but ninety-percent of the time, I stick to the plan. So, I would say it's the organization of it all that I love the most.

This Weight Watcher's recipes was on the calendar the other night for supper. Now, I don't eat Barley so I knew I would have to make the one substitution. I did make a few other substitutions and created a dish that could be ate cold or hot plus have a bit more "stick to your ribs" consistency to it than this recipe had in it without changing the calorie value very much.

First, I prepared gluten-free pasta.

Then I added 3 Tablespoons of fat-free Italian Dressing to the pasta.

Then I peeled, diced one sweet onion, 2 gala apples,

shreeded 1 carrot, 1 each green and red bell pepper, chopped, and sauteed them until tender.

I drained and rinsed 2 cans each of black eyed peas and great northern beans, mixed them together.

Then I added 2 diced jalapeno peppers. 

Mixed the bean mixture with the onion/apple mixer and

add 1 teaspoon each of black pepper, minced garlic, dried cilantro, dried parsley,

dried oregano.

Mix the sauteed mixture with the pasta and toss. 

Serve immediately with shredded Parmesan cheese or pop it in the fridge for later.

Ta-da! Supper is ready!

I challenge YOU to take a recipe and make it your own!

During the winter months, you may have the ingredients in the freezer or in a can...

Don't limit yourself to what a recipe calls for. Try to stay close to fat-free and gluten-free as well as low in calories...

How much fun can cooking be if we make it fun and creative...

Hugs, 

Rita