Rotini Pasta Salad and Chinese Red Cabbage with Vinaigrette Dressing

I love cooking and what I like most about cooking is that I am not afraid to experiment. Sometimes I just enjoy a homemade salad with minimal effort of chopping and dicing. So I start by taking my Salad bowl and then innovate as I go along. 

I must say experimenting has always worked well for me and gives me that complete satisfaction when I am done.

Here is one of my favorite comfort food.

Rotini Pasta salad with Vinaigrette dressing and Chinese red cabbage.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rotini whole wheat pasta cooked and set aside with a drizzle of olive oil (cook the rotini as per the instructions on the box)

1 cup of chopped Chinese red cabbage

1 cup of chopped carrots, zucchinis, cherry tomatoes (optional)

1 cup of toasted pine nuts (I didn't have any so I skipped it)

1 cup of garlic and onion flavored croutons (or your choice)

For the Salad dressing you will need:

½ cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese (optional and I left it out)

A drop of lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients and stir vigorously and set aside for 1 hour. It tastes better the next day so you can store this for another comforting day.

Method: In a salad bowl, add the pasta, chopped cabbage, vegetables if chopped and ready, the Vinaigrette, pine nuts and combine to incorporate the flavors of the dressing. Serve with croutons for that satisfied presentation.

Enjoy!