Objects in the photo are tastier than they appear

No comparison to the photo, yet when I photographed it, my flash, as probably also theirs, made it look a lot lighter. This looks...dingy! Must be the balsamic vinegar. Even the bowl took on a tobacco-like hue. Oh well, surprisingly it tastes pretty good! Though I don't think I'll be taking it to any potlucks, it just doesn't look that pretty. Let's see how it goes over tonight. From the August/September 2006 (can you tell I was organizing my piles of magazines like a good New Year's resoluter yesterday?) Light & Tasty magazine.

VEGGIE PASTA SALAD

8 oz. uncooked tricolor spiral pasta (about 3 cups)...3 small tomatoes chopped...1 cup each red bell pepper, zucchini and carrots chopped...3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar...2 teaspoons dried basil...2 tablespoons olive oil...1 tablespoon sugar...1 teaspoon dried oregano...2 minced garlic cloves...1 teaspoon salt...1/8 teaspoon pepper...1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large bowl, combine the vegetables, vinegar, basil, oil, sugar, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water, stir into vegetable mixture. Add parm cheese, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Serving size 1 cup, 10 servings.

108 calories, 5g fat (1g sat), 4mg cholesterol, 352mg sodium, 13g carb, 2g fiber, 4g protein

--- You can also add 1 cup sliced green onions, 1 cup chopped celery and use fresh instead of dried basil and oregano, 2 and 1 tablespoons respectively. Obviously this is a summer garden bounty recipe. But when it is 32 degrees outside (!) and the HEB was not heated (!!!), I grabbed and got the heck out of there. Mind, celery and onions were MIA. I also didn't use as much salt, pepper or sugar.