BLT Pasta Salad

 

Ingredients

• 10 ounces pasta
• 8 pieces center cut bacon chopped
• 2 cups spinach chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
• ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• ⅛ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ⅛ cup green onions chopped, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Bring a stock pot of water to a boil.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
• Place the wire baking rack inside the baking sheet.
• Place the bacon on the wire baking rack.
• Bake the bacon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until the desired level of crispiness is achieved.
• While the pasta and bacon are cooking, use a knife and cutting board to chop the spinach, halve the grape tomatoes, and chop the green onions.
• In a small bowl, combine the nonfat plain Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper with a whisk or spoon.
• Once the pasta is done cooking, use a colander to strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Add the pasta to a large bowl.
• When the bacon is done cooking, allow it to cool and then chop.
• To the large bowl with the pasta, add the bacon, spinach, grape tomatoes, and dressing.
• Stir well to combine.
• Garnish with green onions and more chopped bacon if desired

Cook's Notes:

To make a dinner size salad I used four slices of bacon and 4 ounces of pasta and roughly 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.

Instant Pot Black Bean Soup

 INGREDIENTS:

1 small red onion,, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, stems and leaves divided

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

2 tablespoons of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

14 ounces dry black beans (about 2 cups)

3 cups of vegetable broth, plus extra water

juice and zest of 1 lime.

Salt, to taste

salsa for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, add the red onion, garlic and diced cilantro into the Instant Pot with a splash of water, Using the saute' setting, cook the veggies for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent.
2. Next, add the red pepper and spices to the Instant Pot, and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes.
3. Then, add the dried black beans to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Stir well, then slowly add in water to the Instant Pot until the water line is about 1 inch above the dried beans.
4. Cover and seal the Instant Pot then set the pressure to "manual high" for 30 minutes.
5. Force release the pressure from the Instant Pot and carefully blend the soup using an immersion blender or by transferring to a VitaMix.
6. Pour into  bowls and garnish as desired. Suggestions include: Salsa, Sour Cream, and avacado or guacamole.