Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Summer Love.

Twelve years ago… a recipe from the archives inspired by a wedding.

We have a wedding to go to. And not just any wedding. My first born son’s wedding. I am mother of the groom. For the first time. Twenty-nine summers ago I cradled this soulful, musical being with new mother innocence and awe, lost in the ocean of this newborn’s eyes, starting a journey called motherhood with few tools beyond my willing heart and a deep rooted conviction that I would create for him a childhood unlike my own.

And in many ways I did. I listened with curiosity. I valued his opinion. I gave him paper and paint and books and music. I gave him the time and space and respect to create. We hung together as true companions.

He was always good company.

And still is.

He inspires me daily. He lives his life as an artist. Creatively. He improvises and honors his intuition. He composes music. Grows veggies and herbs and roses. And he cooks.

In fact, he inspired this recipe.

Tomorrow we are off to New Hampshire for the wedding. We are staying in the picturesque town of Portsmouth. See you next week! I’ll be posting as a newly minted mother-in-law.

I like the sound of that.

Karina xo

Karina’s Gluten-Free Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe

By Karina Allrich July 2011.

This light and fresh summer pasta salad is our favorite picnic food. We love the smoky depth from the grilled veggies. If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can grill your veggies using a cast iron grill pan. It works beautifully. Grill the veggies as the brown rice penne is cooking.

Ingredients:

1 pound gluten-free penne pasta
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1 cup grape tomatoes
4 scallions or spring onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 medium yellow tomato

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice or rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried dill

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the penne until it is firm to the bite- al dente. Do not over cook it.

Drain, rinse in cool water, and drain well. Drizzle with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and toss gently to coat.Place in a large salad bowl.

In the meantime, heat the grill or grill pan to medium heat.

Grill the zucchini, asparagus spears, grape tomatoes and scallions until tender but still firm. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Make your dressing by combining the Veganaise, olive oil, lemon juice or rice vinegar, garlic and dill. Set aside.

When the veggies are cool enough to handle, slice the zucchini into half moons. Slice the asparagus spears into bite size lengths. Slice up two of the scallions.

Add the zucchini, asparagus, sliced scallions, and grilled grape tomatoes to the cooked pasta. Add the chopped fresh herbs. Add the dressing.

Gently toss.