Asparagus Pasta Salad

Hello everyone! I hope everyone's Summer is going well! Mine has been a little hectic, but that's alright! I just can't wait to get all of this "big" stuff out of the way so I can focus on what I really want to put my attention to! One of those things being cooking (and coming up with new recipes!) So that brings me to today's post! I was going through my recipe box and stumbled upon a recipe that I had jotted down a few years ago. I had been looking for a new salad to take to work for the week and this was definitely the answer! Asparagus and pasta together? I'm in. The original recipe called for 2 endive, but I didn't have any on hand when I was making the salad, so they missed the cut! If you want to - try adding them in! I'm sure they'd be a delicious addition!

Ingredients:

• 1 small shallot - finely chopped
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1/2 pound of your favorite pasta
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the shallot and the oil in the microwave for 30 seconds. Once heated, remove from microwave and allow the oil to cool

Trim the bottoms of the asparagus. Roughly chop them and boil them in 1 inch of water for 3 to 5 minutes. Cool under ice cold water to stop the cooking and to keep the bright green color!

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the oil/shallot mixture, vinegar, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Then add the rest of the ingredients and toss together. Serve refrigerated.