Tortellini Salad Recipe & Summer BBQ

Hello friends 🙂

I hope summer is treating you well and you are staying cool.

I’m currently in the middle of the busiest season at work, which is good because it makes my day go a whole lot faster than usual.

I’m also making sure that summer does not get away from me. I try to plan something fun every weekend and spend more time outdoors.

I have so much fun things I want to post on the blog but I’ve been having a hard time finding the time to sit down and blog about them. But I love blogging and it’s a fun hobby of mine so I keep at it, even if I can only put up one or two posts a week.

Lets rewind to last weeks events….

The husband and I spent 4th of July at my parents house.

We had a BBQ in the backyard.

I made desserts. I present to you Strawberry Shortcake Chocolate on a stick. These were gone as soon as I put them down on the table. I should have made more.

I filled my plate with chicken, corn salsa and guacamole. I filled half of my plate with dessert and fruits.

It was a fun day filled with family time, plenty of laughter and eating a lot of good food.

Speaking of food, let me share this new salad recipe that I have been enjoying lately.

Adding tortellini in salad is new-to-me. But it a great addition and make a salad hearty. This salad can be a stand alone meal in a bowl if you want.

The homemade vinaigrette is thick and very flavorful and compliments the salad really well.

I just combined all the ingredients and used my immersion blender to mix everything.

Tortellini Salad with Balsami-Tomato Vinaigrette

Recipe inspired by Kelly’s Healthified Kitchen, from My Kitchen Café
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 9 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 8 cups arugula or spinach, divided
• ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1/3 cup artichoke hearts (I used Trader Joe’s canned artichokes, drained)
• 2 oz. crumbled fat-free feta cheese
• ¼ cup diced red onion

Dressing:
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic, jarred
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
Cook tortellini in boiling water until al dente. Drain and let cool in colander. In a small bowl that has a lid, toss all the salad ingredients together.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended or process in blender.

Prepare 4 bowls; each with 2 cups arugula, 1 tbsp sundried tomatoes, 2 tbsp fat-free feta cheese and 1 tbsp red onion. Top each with 1-2 tbsp of dressing.

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Did you do anything fun on 4th of July? Did you have a BBQ?

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