Pasta Salad With Sesame Tarragon Dressing

I worked in an all you can eat restaurant for awhile after high school. It was called Healthy Habits and they had an amazing salad bar. During my breaks I would make a huge salad, which included several pre-made salads. One of my favorite pre-made salads from this restaurant was the inspiration for this dish. I have been working on recreating it ever since the restaurant closed, and have finally made a version that does justice to my memory of the original.

Pasta Salad with Sesame Tarragon Dressing

Ingredients:

8 oz whole wheat rotini
8 oz pineapple chunks
1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/3 cup raisins or grapes

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp Vegenaise or other vegan mayo

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and let it cool. Put the cooked pasta in a mixing bowl with the pineapple, water chestnuts, sliced celery and raisins. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a measuring cup(vinegar, soy sauce, tarragon, mustard, sesame oil and vegan mayo) and whisk them to incorporate. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

For 4 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 174 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  389 Calories from Fat  105

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  11.7g 18%

Saturated Fat  1.2g 6%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  1021mg 43%

Potassium  448mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates  59.1g 20%

Dietary Fiber  7.1g 28%

Sugars  15.0g

Protein  9.9g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 46% Calcium 3% • Iron 36%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet