Pasta salad...Southwestern-style.

I hate figuring out what to have for lunch. The worst is when I haven't planned well and have to figure out what to eat at the exact moment I am starving. The fact that I am in a rather large metropolitan area and can have pretty much anything my heart desires makes it even more difficult. I like to ease this stress in my life by planning lunches at the beginning of the week. I can eat the same thing for a week without complaint, so really, it's just a matter of varying it up from week to week.

Lately, due to our running training schedule, P.I.C. and I have been trying to make sure we get enough carbs in our diet. My eating tends to run along the lines of low carb. I can't shake the "pasta and potatoes are bad," entirely, so I figure in moderation, I should throw them back in. Not much is better than a hot baked potato with a dab of butter and salt and pepper, right?

In any event, we've been doing pasta salad for our lunches the past couple of weeks. I try to vary it on a theme to make it more interesting. The pasta is, of course, whole wheat. I use lots of veggies. Legumes make an appearance. Of course, chicken is in the mix for some protein, as is cheese. This week? I went Southwestern.

Ingredients:
-1 13.25 ounce box of whole wheat pasta (this week was penne)
-6 ounces of cooked chicken breast (I like to use the frozen chicken tenders. They defrost fast and cook quickly.)
-1 red bell pepper
-1 orange bell pepper
-1 yellow bell pepper
-1 jalapeno pepper
-1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
-1 cup frozen corn, thawed
-1/2 cup spicy ranch dressing
-1 lime
-Salt and pepper to taste

How to:
-Cook the chicken, if necessary. This time, I just sauteed in a little olive oil, seasoning the chicken with some cumin, salt, and pepper.
-Cook the pasta according to directions. Rinse with cool water.
-Chop the peppers into small pieces.
-Mix chicken, peppers, beans, and corn together.
-Squeeze the lime into the mix.
-Mix the ranch dressing with a half cup of water. (I really dislike low fat dressings, so I just mix them with water to keep the taste, just lower the calories.)
-Mix in the dressing.

Serves about six.

Southwestern Pasta Salad.

Cheeeeeeeese.

Enjoy your lunch.