By Doula Jen

Every summer I make at least four big batches of this. Colorful, hearty, zesty, and COLD! I don’t like to eat hot foot when it’s hot outside!

I love this recipe for postpartum because you can work on it in stages…cut the onions after baby’s morning nap, boil the pasta and cool it in the afternoon. Take as long as you need to build this beauty and then enjoy the bounty all week! It yields a lot, making it easy for a tired mama to grab a bowl for lunch between feeding sessions or throw it on the table with some crusty bread for a quick family meal.

Ingredients:

-2 boxes tri-colored rotini, cooked and cooled

–1 small pkg. all-natural Nitrite-free Genoa salami (sliced into strips)

–1 small pkg. uncured pepperoni (sliced into halves)

–4 oz. pepper jack cheese, cubed

-4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

-½ c. green olives

–1 small can sliced black olives

-1 small red onion, chopped-

–1 red bell pepper, julienned 

-1 yellow bell pepper, julienned

-1 green bell pepper, julienned

-1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

-1 small jar pepperoncini peppers

-½ c. olive oil

–½ c. balsamic vinegar

-2 small packets of dry Italian dressing mix

The How To:

Fool proof. Toss it all together. Refrigerate. Flavors marinate over time and this usually tests best by day three or four!