Summer Pasta Salad

Seriously not having a job and not going to class or being on campus all the time has made the week go by so fast and has left me feeling very unproductive. Although I'm finishing up one last class online which I'm done with next week, I don't like this feeling. It's summer and I've been cooped up inside for a majority of the time. Not fun. So far my weeks consisted of looking for a job, cooking and working on a scrapbook that I update yearly for Sean and mine's anniversary.

Here's one thing that I made this week and really enjoyed. This summer pasta is light and perfect for this summer heat. One reason why I love this summer pasta is the fact that you can use whatever vegetables are in season or are available to you. I used green beans, broccoli, corn and grape tomatoes. I also had fresh basil from my plant which I am honestly surprised is still alive. Ha.

Here's the Recipe:

Serves 6 

Ingredients

1 pound tri-color pasta (cooked to package directions)

Basil (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup corn

1 serrano chile (seeds and ribs removed then finely chopped)

1/2 cup broccoli, chopped

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)

1/2 pound green beans

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for dressing

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic (minced)

Red pepper flakes to taste

Lemon juice to taste

1. Add pasta to salted boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Set aside.

2. Halve cherry tomatoes and salt. Set aside and allow water to be drawn out, reducing the moisture in the tomatoes. Carefully slice the corn kernals off the cob or if using frozen corn,  ignore this step. Seed and remove ribs from the Serrano chile then finely chop.

3. In salted boiling water, submerge raw green beans, cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and immediately submerge in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Do the same with chopped broccoli.

4. In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add corn, garlic, serrano, tomatoes, broccoli and green beans. and cook for 2 minutes.

5. Combine pasta with sautéed vegetables in large bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice and red pepper flakes to taste and coat pasta and vegetables. Garnish with basil. 

What's your favorite summer dish?