After a few cloudy days the sun is back! Since we got my parents old patio set, we decided to have dinner outside yesterday.

We had Smokey Hickory Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers and a variety of vegetables. Baked potatoes, corn on the cob and baby carrots. There were also some beautiful chives in the garden to top the potatoes with.

In evening we went to the beach again and went for a post dinner walk in the heat. It was hot! Today I thought that I would share a nice refreshing summer meal or side with you, great for a picnic or summer gathering. Normally I don’t have people guest post on my blog, but the second recipe comes from an awesome little girl that is very dear to my heart. Below Autumn will share her video tutorial on how to make an amazing bowl of grape soup. 😉

Greek Pasta Salad

This salad makes a perfect meal for hot summer days when you don’t feel like turning the oven on and aren’t in the mood for too heavy of a meal. I love Greek Salad, so I figured why not Greek Pasta Salad? This dish is loaded with fresh, crisp, colorful vegetables and dressed in a light Greek Dressing.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For The Salad

• 2 cups whole wheat or vegetable fusilli
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 long English cucumber, chopped
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives

Greek Dressing

• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground  black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and boil 8-10 minutes, until tender. While the pasta is cooking, chop your vegetables and place them in a large serving bowl. Whisk together the Greek Dressing ingredients in a separate dish. Drain the cooked pasta and run it under cold water for a few seconds to cool it. Place the pasta together with the vegetables and drizzle the dressing on top. Stir everything together until combined and dressing is evenly distributed. Serve or refrigerate for later.

Grape Soup

A recipe that my daughter Autumn created one day.

Can you tell that she is just like her momma?

Wishing you all a great day and an awesome weekend ahead! 🙂