Summer Pasta & Tuna Salad

Danny took two special ingredients from the shelves of Stewart’s Food Store this week – Donostia Foods Bonito del Norte Tuna and plain kefir – and created a cool creamy pasta salad that won’t weigh you down on these scorching days.

The recipe below is the baseline for all the veggies you can toss together in the dill-infused, tangy ranch-style dressing with the pasta, tomatoes, capers, and red onions that Danny used here. We decided that canned or fresh asparagus spears, red bell peppers, cucumbers, and jalapenos would make this healthy feast even more sumptuous – in any combination.

The Donostia brand tuna, used recently in Danny’s recipe for Salade Niçoise, is so meaty and buttery tasting that Chef Rick Bayless, a 13-time James Beard Award winner, said he could eat it straight out of the jar. My sentiments exactly!

The dressing - a tangier, lighter version of ranch dressing that uses a combination of kefir and mayonnaise. It also doubles as a delicious dip for crudities, spicy wings, pretzels, pizza, breadsticks, and any pub food that’s enhanced by ranch dressing.

Kefir is a fermented dairy product that is known for its probiotic properties and contains beneficial bacteria and yeasts that promote gut health. Drinking kefir - now available in Stewart’s dairy case - is supposed to improve digestion and support the immune system by allowing better absorption of nutrients. Kefir is also used as an ingredient in smoothies, dressings, and baked goods, and poured over fresh berries and granola.

This recipe makes four lunch portions. As always, all ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

(Salad) 1 cup of dry rotini pasta 1-7.9 oz jar of Donostia white tuna in olive oil.

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup chopped red onion 3 tablespoons of capers ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley (Dressing) ½ cup plain Kefir ½ cup mayo 1 garlic clove 1tsp of dried dill ½ tsp salt t tsp parsley Black pepper Zest of ½ lemon Juice of ½ lemon

Preparation:

(Salad) Step 1: Cook rotini in salted, boiling water according to the instructions on the package for “al dente.” Let pasta cool or rinse in cold water then drain well in a colander.

Step 2: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Top with dressing and toss.

(Dressing): Step 1: Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend for up to a minute until creamy and smooth.