Easy to prepare and full texture, this colorful salad can use any assortment of vegetables you may have on hand, making it very flexible.

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 12 ounces bowtie or penne pasta. (mini pastas work well)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup orange, red or yellow pepper, diced small
• 1 cup cucumbers, diced small, peeled or not
• 1 cup carrots, peeled, diced small
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup finely diced onion
• 1 small can black olives, sliced (green are good too)
• cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. (or any flavor of vinegar)
• Red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt or to taste Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• ½ cup roasted pine nuts or walnuts

Instructions

Cook pasta al dente, according to instructions. Drain and set aside. Combine all veggies, pasta, olives and herbs in a bowl. Neither fresh nor frozen corn need to be cooked prior to mixing with pasta. Frozen corn is parboiled before freezing and thaws quickly once added to other ingredients. Fresh corn kernels can be added raw or parboiled and cooled. In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic salt together with red pepper flakes. Pour over veggies and toss. Check for seasonings and adjust to your taste. Refrigerate until serving time. This salad only gets better the longer the flavors blend together. Toss in pine nuts just before serving.