Easy Holiday Picnic & Cookout Recipes: Thai Bowtie Pasta Salad

Yes, you may have noticed my brief blogging hiatus. Ugh. The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster ride of busyness, unexpected changes and to be honest...I've needed some JAM time. Like the lil girl in that AT&T commercial says, "we want more, we want more!"

Anyway, over this past holiday weekend, I got to enjoy one of my FAVORITE insta-pick-me-ups...A  FAMILY COOKOUT! Typically, my Mom whips up the fave staples in the kitchen, my sister brings the creativity to dishes, and my Dad, well he masters the grill! I've become accustomed to being the "table-setter" but have dipped my toe into more recipes over the past years (what can I say, I'm very lucky to have a family of great cooks!!)

I pinned this recipe and made it once before. I wanted to test it out again and get my seeester's seal of approval before I made it for her BIG BIRTHDAY party this weekend :) It's super easy and simple for anyone, for realz, even me. Win!



Necessary ingredients!

Thai Bowtie Pasta Salad

Serves 6-8 (tweaked my recipe from original found on weekofmenus.com via pinterest) 1 lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta 1/3 cup canola, safflower or other mild tasting oil 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/4 cup sesame oil (optional) 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar Pretty peppers all prepped 2 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers 1 shallot, diced 1 bag of MorningStar soy chicken or 2-3 cups of rotisserie chicken, cut into bite sized pieces 3 tablespoons roasted sesame seed Salt & pepper to taste 3 cups washed baby spinach 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (optional) Boil and cook pasta according to directions. Make sure to salt the cooking water. Drain pasta and set aside. Return the pasta pot back to the stove. (You don't need to wash it.) Add the canola oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and rice wine vinegar to another pot. Heat over low heat until the honey is dissolved. Remove from heat and toss in the pasta. Add the bell peppers, chicken, shallot, pepper, sesame seeds,  and red pepper flakes (optional). Toss well to coat all the ingredients. Before serving, toss the pasta with the spinach, to keep the vibrant green as much as possible. Total time: about 35 mins, including prep. Nom, nom, nom! This can be chilled or served warm at room temperature, making it a big hit at any summer cookout or holiday picnic! If that's not a sign of approval, I don't know what is!!!! Yeah, 'Merica!!!! Happy noshing, and keep on JAMmin!