Double Recipe Test: Creamy Avocado Pasta, and Honey Mustard Greek Yogurt Dressing

I was slightly skeptical of this recipe for creamy avocado pasta from the health and lifestyle site Greatist. It just seemed a little TOO easy, and the picture wasn't totally appetizing. But avocados are a favorite around here, so I gave it a try.

It didn't seem like a full dinner on its own, so I added a substantial salad with this honey mustard Greek yogurt dressing/sauce from The Hungry Runner blog. I pinned this image:

The pasta recipe is incredibly easy. Just toss some avocado, basil, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and salt in the blender or food processor. Process till smooth, and toss with cooked pasta.

I followed the recipe as written, and used Barilla Plus multi-grain pasta. This is how the sauce looked.

The dressing is also a snap. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, Greek yogurt and honey.

Dinner came together in about 15-20 minutes!

It was delicious, too. The pasta is AMAZING. This is definitely my new go-to. Creamy, lemony, and fantastic. My husband actually couldn't even identify the avocado flavor. It tastes like a rich pesto. Love it.

The dressing was pretty good too, though it definitely had that Greek yogurt taste. I might try regular plain yogurt next time, or half and half regular yogurt and mayo. It was still better than bottled dressings, and a nice change from standard vinaigrette french dressing.

Altogether, this was a great success - popular with even the littlest eaters.

Verdict: A perfect healthy, quick weeknight dinner.

Arugula Salad with Mango, Macadamia Nuts, and Avocado

The vegan blog Healthy Happy Life offers a beautiful salad of arugula, mango, avocado, and macadamia nuts. I pinned this image:

It's very simple - just the four title ingredients and a variation on a basic french vinaigrette. I'm sure you could use a wide variety of vinaigrette-style dressings.

I used mandarin oranges, because the mango I bought in Alaska in December... yeah. Not so nice. But mandarins are in season, and it came out great.

  

The avocado and nuts make this a more substantial salad. I served it as a side with some broiled salmon, and that was all we needed. The guys loved it, and so did I. It would make a great salad to bring to a potluck. 

The verdict: Success! Yummy, super easy, and flexible. This one will go in heavy rotation.