One of QueenBee’s Spring Favorites: Chicken Pasta Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Sometimes you are so busy that you just don’t have time to cook a big meal. What can you do?
Do you have some nicely cooked leftover chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, or veggie burgers? With a little ingenuity, you can partner the leftovers with gluten free pasta and any cooked and raw organic, seasonal veggies that you have on hand. With a classic Bee Wild’s honey mustard dressing, you have a tasty, nourishing one dish meal. By the way, this is a healthy riff on a recipe handed down by QueenBee’s Mom.
Is Honey Mustard Dressing Healthy?
If you are buying the typical prepared honey mustard dressing, then the answer is, No.” Bottled dressing tends to be filled with high levels of fructose. But, if you make your own, you can control the fat and calorie content by using safflower mayonnaise or Greek yogurt as the base for your homemade dressing. By just adding good mustard and honey, you have a delicious more healthy version of honey mustard dressing.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- Leftover nicely prepared organic, free range Chicken, Turkey, Fish or sauteed tofu or veggie burgers - whatever amount you have works. For a family of 4, I like to have 2+ cups of meat.
- A box of organic, gluten-free pasta, cooked al dente according to package instructions. Be creative with the shapes. I personally prefer Quinoa-Based pasta.
- 1/2 organic red onion, chopped finely (Can substitute 4 green onions.)
- 1/2 organic bell pepper (Can use red, orange, yellow or green, whatever you prefer. Personally, I love to mix the colors.)
- 1/2-1 cup of halved organic cherry tomatoes (to your taste)
- 1 handful of organic carrot shavings (a potato peeler is great for making the shavings)
- Small bunch of your favorite herb, chopped (I pick mine right off my deck garden. Dill is a nice herb for both chicken and fish. Parsley always is a standby. Basil if you like Mediterranean food.)
- 3-4 tbsp organic Safflower Mayonnaise OR 1/2 cup organic Greek Yogurt
- 1 heaping tbsp organic whole grain mustard
- 1 tbsp Bee Wild Raw Honey (Try Gallberry as it stands up well in recipes.)
Instructions
- Mix the last three ingredients to make your dressing. If you like your dressing a bit thinner, add a bit of rice wine vinegar. If you like salt, add organic sea salt or Himalayan salt to taste. You can add half your chopped herbs to the dressing. Let stand for 15-30 minutes in the fridge to let the flavors meld.
- Cool your pasta. Be careful if you run it under cool water. Drain well.
- Put the chicken, pasta, and veggies in a large bowl.
- Stir gently, so you don't break the pasta up.
- Add dressing and stir gently.
- Serve on a salad plate on a bed of spring salad greens. Sprinkle with your favorite chopped herb.
