Tequila Lime Pasta Salad. Something totally unexpected but light and healthy for that summer picnic or really anytime of day. I had some for breakfast this morning..
This weeks post was inspired by National Tequila day which was Friday. Our tennis team had an extra match this week and we thought it would be fun to make it a theme night for our after match picnic and cocktails. All things tequila! I thought that a tequila lime vinaigrette would be good and a pasta salad would be enough to feed 16 ladies after our match. The beauty about pasta salads, you can put in what ever your little heart desires. I added some chicken for some protein and loaded it up with tons of vegetables. The dressing has an unexpected bite from the tequila and smoky undertones from the southwest inspired spices. If you are wary of the tequila, the dressing can be made without it. Then it would be called Lime Pasta Salad. Lol! Either way, delish!
Yesterday I got to experience something that I had absolutely no clue about. NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) has the national finals going on at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, CO. You have to understand, I have driven by this track for the better part of twenty five years and always wondered what it was all about. Now I know! Drag racing with different classes of cars and motorcycles going really, really fast. That’s it. Probably one of the craziest sports that I have ever witnessed hands down. I don’t know but over 200 MPH on a motorcycle and over 400 MPH in a car constitutes for crazy. Oh, did I mention how LOUD it was? We had the noisiest seats in the house to top it off. Second row up directly across from the start line. We got to experience serious inside shaking. The seats shook, my boobs (ha) shook, my veins shook and even my head shook. It was so loud that I can’t explain it and unless you go to a drag race you won’t get it! I didn’t before this. To top of the Bandimere day we got to go around and check out all the cars, meet some of the drivers, eat some pretty darn good food and the people watching was fantastic! It was too hot for beer though… What a great afternoon. I can check drag racing off the list! Vroom..
- [br][b]For the Vinaigrette[/b][br]
- 2 limes, juiced
- 3 tablespoons tequila
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
- [br][b]For the Salad[/b][br]
- 1 pound of your favorite pasta, cooked to package directions
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 12 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 3/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced small (optional)
- 1/2 cup radishes, sliced thin
- To make the vinaigrette, add the limes, tequila, garlic, honey, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until it becomes thickened. Set aside.
- For the salad, add the cooked pasta, chicken, cheese, cilantro and the vegetables to a large bowl and mix to combine evenly.
- Add desired amount of dressing to salad. I used about half of the dressing but add more if you prefer.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
These guys are nuts. 200 MPH on a motorcycle. It’s really hard to believe until you actually see it!
Not sure why the are called “Funny Cars”. At the starting line. Can I even tell you how loud these things are? Ears plugs and fingers in the ears. Of course we were sitting in the loudest part of the stadium!
I thought it was really cool how close that you could get to the cars. I thought it was even cooler with the amount of woman drivers.
When the cars come off the track they completely rebuild the engine. They have 23 minutes to do it. That’s what they call teamwork.
Me and “The Sarge”, Tony Schumacher. He was the first driver to go 400 MPH yesterday. Nuts.