Garden Pasta Salad

This lightly dressed pasta salad gets lots of flavor from Kalamata olives and basil. A colorful mix of diced bell pepper, shredded carrot and tomatoes adds vitamins and minerals. Serve on a crisp bed of greens. Toss in canned chunk light tuna, cooked chicken or flavored baked tofu to add protein and make it more substantial.”

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat rotini, (6 ounces)
⅓ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
⅓ cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup diced yellow or red bell pepper, (1 small)
1 cup grated carrots, (2-4 carrots)
½ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
½ cup chopped scallions, (4 scallions)
⅓ cup slivered fresh basil

Directions

1Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
2Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, scallions, olives and basil; toss to coat well.