Jackson Free Press

Ingredients

1/2 cup cucumbers, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup rainbow or whole-wheat rotini pasta

Put a few cubes of ice into a mixing bowl and add a little cold water. Place a smaller mixing bowl on top.

Add four cups water to a medium-sized pot, add a couple of pinches of salt and boil the water. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and turn the heat down just a little bit.

Let the pasta cook, stirring it occasionally. Al dente pasta usually takes around seven or eight minutes—if it's chewy but still firm, you have perfect rotini. Strain the pasta in the sink and pour it into the ice bath you prepped earlier. This prevents the pasta from cooking any further. Let it cool for a minute and then put the pasta into the refrigerator.

For the dressing, put the rest of the ingredients in your blender pitcher and blend until smooth. Pulse it a little at the end to make sure the dressing is completely done. Take the pasta out of the refrigerator and toss it with the sauce. Feel free to add some shredded Parmesan to it.

You can easily make this dish the night before and pack it for a workday lunch.

This recipe continues our Wellness month feature on healthy vegetarian meals, which began in issue 17.