Honey Lime and Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

My rating: 4.5 stars
Kids' rating: 4 stars





Not your traditional pasta salad. This is sweet and refreshing as the day is long. I made it for one of those evenings we spend in the car, going from one activity to the next, pulling it out of the cooler at dinnertime. It was just the ticket. 
It does dry out the longer it sits in the bowl (although, if I were cool enough to have a bowl with a fitted lid, that may not happen, but there's no way to know that for sure). But the next day, I just freshened it up a bit with a splash of buttermilk and honey and it was good as gold.


Salad:
• 8 ounces rotini or bow tie pasta
• 2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded
• 1 large sweet-tart apple, cored, diced (I prefer Honey Crisp for this salad)
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1 15 ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained very well
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds or cashews
Honey Lime Dressing:
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.
2. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together.
3. In another small or medium bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently to mix so that all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour (the salad may dry out a bit if refrigerated for much longer - you can make extra dressing or reserve part of the dressing to stir in right before serving).

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe