Another potluck. This time they said bring a salad or side dish that is “dairy” – contains no meat. To complicate things, I had to run errands before the gathering, and was going to a jazz concert after, so It couldn’t be a hot dish, and leftovers would have to be able to survive in the car for a couple of hours. Since it is very cold, I wasn’t really worried about spoilage. And of course, it had to meet my standard potluck principle of being something I could eat at the potluck to avoid the fatty dishes others brought, and the leftovers would be ok to eat without being too high fat.
I decided on a pasta salad with a Thai flavor so it would be a little different, but easy to transport. This was also good as a leftover for lunch, when I added little cooked shrimp to it one day, and tuna the next.
Pasta Salad with Sweet Lime Chili Sauce
1 pound small pasta (see Note)
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 colored pepper, chopped coarsely
2 Tablespoons dried flaked onions
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Dressing
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup finely shredded peeled carrot
1/2 teaspoon Thai-style chili paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and allow to drain completely. Toss pasta with remaining salad ingredients (tomatoes through cilantro). To make dressing, whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over pasta and toss thoroughly. Makes 8 1½ cup servings at about 2 grams of fat/serving.
NOTE: You can use any kind of small pasta you’d like – orzo, little shells, small macaroni, etc. I was originally planning to use small shells until I found adorable mini farfalle (bow ties), which I thought gave the salad an interesting look.
VARIATION: I made this salad milder and sweeter than I might have if I wasn’t taking it to a potluck. If you want to give it a real Thai kick, reduce the sugar to 2 teaspoons, and increase the chili paste to 1 teaspoon – or more to taste.
The Perpetual Feast 
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