Southwestern Pasta Salad and Chocolate Covered S’mores

Our family was invited to a friend's house for dinner.  Since the guest list included both adults and young kids, I tried to think of a salad and dessert that would appeal to both age groups.  A lot of children love tacos, so I prepared Southwestern Pasta Salad using whole wheat rotini pasta and flavored with chili powder and ground cumin.  A handful of fresh chopped cilantro and fresh chopped tomatoes gave this dish beautiful texture, flavor and color.


For dessert, I wanted something fun and messy - a special treat.  Chocolate Covered S'mores combined a traditional favorite with a little extra flair.  Since I was making s'mores for a crowd, I roasted the marshmallows in the oven!  Our oldest daughter was in charge of the decorating.  She picked Blues Clues decorating sprinkles - I thought it added the perfect touch.

Southwestern Pasta Salad

Serves 8

12 ounces whole wheat rotini pasta

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl combine the corn and beans. Stir in cooled pasta.  In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic. Pour over pasta mixture; stir to combine.  Toss in bell pepper, cilantro leaves and tomatoes. 

Chill until serving. 

Chocolate Covered S’mores

Serves 16

16 whole graham crackers

16 large marshmallows

4 ounces milk chocolate chips

16 ounces milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

Sprinkles, decorative candies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Break the graham crackers in half.  Place on a large baking sheet.  Top half with marshmallows and the other half with the 4 ounces chocolate chips.  Bake for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt and the marshmallows begin to brown and puff up.  Remove from the oven and top the graham cracker with marshmallow with the chocolate chip graham cracker.

Put the baking sheet into the freezer for five minutes to harden the s’mores. 

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the 16 ounces of chocolate chips and shorting.  Microwave on low power for 1 minute. Stir.  Continue heating and stirring until melted. 

Remove the s’mores from the freezer and dunk them into the melted chocolate.  Transfer to a sheet of waxed paper.  Sprinkle with candies or your desired topping.  Freeze to harden chocolate.  Remove prior to serving to soften.