The late, late nights. They make you lazy. You stay up late, you rise late, you eat late, you do everything well, late. And it's a clockless wonderful thing. Time? Who cares! We are on holiday. We don't need no stinkin' clocks.
A life without clocks, hmmm. I may just get tired of that after a time. ;)
A decision has been made and it's a pirate's life for me. No straight irons for the hair. Breezy gauzy dresses and sandals-kinda beachy laid back. I'm feelin' summer, and it's a pirate's season. Makes me want to anchor my ship in the Leeward Islands and pitch my hammock on the nearest coconut tree. Such dreams, huh?
I've been eating the *best* eat-clean pasta salad you could ever hope for, with fresh mint, olives, red onion, feta cheese & red wine vinegar...so very good. It's not that creamy store bought pasta salad. This one is actually good for you! Here is the amazing recipe so you can try it yourselves:
*Best* Pasta salad recipe in the whole world:
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat bowtie pasta
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 seedless cucumber chopped up into bits
1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup of canned white kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1/2 small red onion diced
2 ounces of fat reduced feta cheese, cubed
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped up small
1/4 cup of pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon of honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the pasta according to package directions and then rinse in cool water. Pat dry on paper towels to make sure there is no water left on the pasta. Combine the pasta with the olives, beans, peppers, cucumber, mint, red onion, feta cheese and tomatoes.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together to make the dressing. Toss it all together and serve.
So SO freakin' great! You will love it.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. xoxo
p.s. this little blog has now pumped out 500 posts! gimme a whoot!!! xo
Congratulations on 500 posts! That is quite an accomplishment. Thanks for the gift of the pasta salad recipe too. Sounds good.
Posted by: Marilyn | July 10, 2011 at 06:27 AM
Yay! 500! Congratulations, Gillian. They are gems, your posts, and so are you. Oh, and a pirate's life sounds just about right to me! I don't think any pirate ever ate so well as you do, though. This pasta salad is right up my alley. YUM! xoxo Gigi
Posted by: Gigi | July 10, 2011 at 07:20 AM
I'll give you a "woot" and an "ar' matey"!!! A pirate's life, in the leeward islands, with a hammock and some coconuts...I could do that -- I can feel it right now!!!
Posted by: Sherry Smyth | July 10, 2011 at 09:54 AM
AAAARGH!!! I love your version of the Pirate's Life! Bring me on board, won't you?
Posted by: Swirly | July 10, 2011 at 12:29 PM
thank you Marilyn, I thought of you this afternoon, I made a pineapple mint iced tea from scratch. so good!
xoxo
Posted by: Gillian daSilva | July 10, 2011 at 06:55 PM
Gigi, thank you. I've always been a free spirit. I'll pitch my hammock anywhere until the Leewards manifest for me...!
I hope you try the salad....xoxo
Posted by: Gillian daSilva | July 10, 2011 at 06:56 PM
If I win the lottery, baby you know where we'll be heading. I've a few other destinations in mind also. We'll do a blogging world tour with about a dozen of us. xoxo
Posted by: Gillian daSilva | July 10, 2011 at 06:57 PM
Swirly!! Of course you are welcome on my ship anytime. xoxo Miss you!
Posted by: Gillian daSilva | July 10, 2011 at 06:58 PM
YUMMY!!
Congrats on 500!
XOXO
Posted by: christina | July 13, 2011 at 12:16 AM
Congratulations on 500 blog posts! So glad that you are here in the blogosphere, Gillian. I'm going to try this recipe, too. It does sound healthy and delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Posted by: susanna | July 24, 2011 at 07:03 PM
and woot for us and your 500 posts!!
X...x
Posted by: stephanie | July 25, 2011 at 08:16 PM