We’re Making Moves
Hello and welcome back to my blog! Let’s start off with some good news: Southern California seems to be slowly taking steps to return to normalcy. Some businesses are allowed to reopen, hiking trails have reopened, and beaches are beginning to open — if they haven’t already. It’s crazy to think that it’s almost June, which means summer is near. And if we continue to progress, this could mean (small) BBQ’s are on for the summer! It’s never too early to start thinking of ideas and this Southwest Pasta Salad is a must-make item!
Sweet and Tangy
Even if gatherings are still prohibited, you can throw together a little BBQ with your family or quarantine buds. This Southwest Pasta Salad is a great dish to add to the menu because it’s simple, light, and refreshing! We have rotini pasta mixed with sweet corn, diced red onions, juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, green onions, and black beans! This is all coated and tossed together with a Honey Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and tangy!
What makes this Southwest Pasta Salad even better is that it can be made ahead of time! If I’m hosting a gathering, anything that can be made in advance is a dream! I never want to be running around making 7 different things 5 minutes before food is supposed to be served. Allowing the pasta to sit with the vinaigrette for a few hours actually makes the dish taste better. That time allows the pasta and veggies to absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette, which makes it even more flavorful!
Highlights of the Last Week
Life can get pretty mundane staying at home 24/7, so I thought I’d share some of my highlights from this past week!
A Good Ole BBQ!
One night, my sister and I were taking a walk and we passed by a house that was grilling food. The smell of food cooking on a grill brought us a great sense of nostalgia. I was immediately brought back home to New York where we would host family BBQ’s at our house. Nothing beats the feeling of being surrounded by your family and good food as the warm summer’s day slowly cools as the sun sets.
Mother’s Day!
This past weekend it was Mother’s Day so my sister and I video chatted with our parents. My sister compiled all of the photos and clips we took on our trip to Alaska last summer and made a video for our mom. Considering that we can’t travel at the moment, it was nice to be brought back to a past vacation and relive those memories. My sister sent the video to our mom and it was so cute to see our parents’ reactions to it.
Roadtrip Baby!
Another exciting moment is that my sister, her boyfriend, and I took a “road trip.” And by “road trip” I mean we drove down Pacific Coast Highway for about an hour. It was a spontaneous decision and I know it isn’t the most exciting thing, but the three of us hadn’t left the general area of my sister’s apartment since the first week of March. This was the first sense of adventure we’ve had in a while, and you could feel the buzz of excitement in the car. We blasted music as we went on with our adventure and it was the absolute best! On a normal day, driving down PCH isn’t a big deal. But considering the time we’re in, this thing we take for granted everyday became the most exciting thing ever.
Fear of the Unknown
I definitely have mixed feelings about returning to normalcy. Sometimes I’m craving to get back out into the world, and other times, I feel anxious about quarantine being lifted. A large part of me is anxious about quarantine being lifted because I have the pressure of finding a job. With the shelter in place order and so many businesses being closed and not looking to hire, it almost felt like a pause in my life. There was less pressure to find a job because it was such an uncertain time. However, now that I’m about to graduate and we’re making moves to return to normalcy, that pressure of finding job has really started to hit me.
When I start to feel anxious or stressed, I try to think about the excitement I feel on the little adventures I go on now. Thinking about it reminds me that there’s so much life has to offer. Yes, finding a job is important, but your job shouldn’t consume your entire life. There are so many places to explore, adventures to seek, people to meet, and SO MUCH MORE! If I feel such great excitement now just from driving down PCH, imagine how excited I’ll feel to be able to travel the world! Reminding myself of these things and feelings helps to relieve any stress and anxiety I may feel concerning the future.
Enjoy Life
If you’re feeling a little anxious or stressed like me, know that you’re not alone. While finding a job is important, please remind yourself that there’s much more to your life than having a job. Take the time to appreciate the things and people around you and all the great things you can do!
And whether you’re having a BBQ or a casual Tuesday night dinner, this Southwest Pasta Salad is a great dish to add to the table. You can even make it a complete meal by adding in some shredded rotisserie chicken or sliced grilled chicken. That way, you’ll have your carbs, fats, fiber, and protein!
I apologize if this post feels a little all over the place. I haven’t quite mastered talking about a delicious recipe and then transitioning to talking about my fears for the future. Nonetheless, thank you for sticking with me! I really do hope you try this recipe out and enjoy it, and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Southwest Pasta Salad with a Honey Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Honey Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice (about 2 limes)
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 packed cup Cilantro
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Garlic Cloves (roughly chopped)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
For the Pasta Salad
- 8 oz Rotini Pasta (or another type of short length pasta)
- 2 Medium Corn Cobs (husked)
- 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Red Onion
- 1 1/2 cups Halved Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 cup Canned Black Beans (rinsed with water)
- 1 Avocado (cut into medium sized chunks)
- 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions
Instructions
For the Honey Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Place all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette into a blender. Blend the ingredients until they have combined. It should be smooth but you still want to be able to see little green specks of cilantro. Set aside for later.
For the Pasta Salad
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the corn to the boiling water and allow it to cook for about 5-7 minutes. The corn has cooked when the kernels are tender and you can easily pierce it with the tip of a knife. Remove it from the boiling water and place it into a bowl of ice water to chill. When the corn has chilled remove it from the water and set aside.
- Add a generous sprinkling of salt to the same pot of boiling water. Add in the pasta and cook for about 7 minutes or until al dente. Strain the the pasta and run it under cold water until the pasta has chilled. Strain any excess water from the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Take one of the chilled corn cobs and stand it up on the flat end. Run the knife down the sides of the corn to remove the kernels from the cob. Repeat with the remaining corn cob.
- Add the corn kernels, the red onion, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, and green onion to the bowl of pasta. Pour in the vinaigrette and gently mix the ingredients together until well combined. Taste the pasta salad adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
