ROTINI BARBECUE PASTA SALAD

ROTINI BARBECUE PASTA SALAD

Whole wheat rotini pasta, tomatoes, sweet red and green pepper, scallion, radish and broccoli mixed with Animal-Free Barbecue Mayonnaise Spread. Topped with smoked almond crumbles. Great salad!

Makes 21 cups

ANIMAL-FREE BARBECUE MAYONNAISE SPREAD
Makes 4-½ cups

16 oz.  pkg. extra firm, water-packed tofu, drained, rinsed and broken into cubes
2 t. salt
3 T. brown sugar

¾ c. extra virgin olive oil

1-¼ c. Jack Daniel’s Original No. 7 Barbecue Sauce
2 T. spicy brown mustard
2 T. prepared yellow mustard
3 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 T. prepared horseradish
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. powdered ginger
½ t. celery seed
¼ t. ground allspice
½ t. red cayenne pepper

Place tofu, salt and brown sugar in food processor and process till smooth, pushing down insides of container with spatula.

Add olive oil and process for 1 minute till creamy.

Add remaining ingredients and process again for 1 minute till whipped.

Transfer to jar(s) and refrigerate overnight for best flavor results.

Notes: Sweet, hot, tart and smokey! Jack Daniel’s works beautifully with this mayonnaise. Experiment with others. The Original No. 7 is my favorite.

Quick and easy!

Prepare your smoked almond crumbles for the topping:

Place 2 c. smoked almonds in clean/dry food processor. Process till dry and mealy, then process a little further till oil just begins to release from the crumbles and they start sticking together–not too much though. Transfer to covered jar.

NOW TO THE PASTA SALAD:

1 lb. whole wheat rotini pasta, cooked in lots of sufficiently salted water till tender, drain and rinsed under cold water till cool, then drain till dry

2 c. fresh cut ripe juicy tomatoes, 1/2 inch squares

1 c. fresh cut sweet red pepper, 1/2 inch squares

1 c. fresh cut green pepper, 1/2 inch squares

2 c. fresh broccoli buds, sm. bite-size pieces not lg. chunks

3/4 c. sliced scallion, green and white part

1/3 c. sliced radishes, cut ea. in half then slice thinly

1 t. salt

lots of freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 c. Animal-Free Barbecue Mayonnaise Spread

1/3 c. white Balsamic vinegar

In extra large bowl combine pasta, tomatoes, red and green pepper, broccoli, scallion, radish. Toss.

Add salt, black pepper and olive oil. Toss.

In separate bowl combine barbecue mayonnaise and vinegar. Stir till smooth, then pour over salad and toss to evenly coat. Salt to taste if needed. Transfer to serving dish, top liberally with smoked almond crumbles and serve.

Notes: Great for a crowd. Prepare pasta, dressing and veggies the day before. Then the day you serve, assemble and serve.

The whole wheat pasta has a denser yet smooth texture that supports the heavy veggies in this salad. Don’t overcook. Years ago whole wheat pastas textured like sawdust. They’ve come a long way in correcting the texture, with especially rotini .

If serving individual servings at a table, spoon up the salad then top each individual serving with the almond crumbles.