Teriyaki Pasta Salad

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs with Teriyaki Pasta Salad

    Have you ever searched for a recipe and couldn't find what you are looking for?  Thinking all the while that your idea for a recipe is definitely feasible and you're wondering why no one has thought of this before?  That's what happened to me for this recipe.  I found a couple of recipes that were similar to what I was thinking, but not exactly what I wanted.  When making my recipes, I always look to see if there is something out there that has been done before similar to what I was thinking, but I will always change the recipe up to make it my own.  When developing recipes, I focus on the tastes of my family and think of their likes and dislikes to make sure they will enjoy what we are having for dinner, lunch, breakfast, etc.  It's important for me to make what they like, but still challenge their pallets to often try new things.  Since we like teriyaki flavors, why not create a pasta salad to go along with our dinner?

Teriyaki Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb angel hair or thin spaghetti pasta
• 1 pkg. coleslaw mix
• 1 c. green beans, cut into 1 in. pieces, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 seedless cucumber, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce, use 1 tsp of red pepper flakes if you don't have the sweet chili sauce
• 1 tsp. ginger, ground
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  If you are using frozen green beans, add to pasta close to the end of it's cooking time, with 2 to 3 minutes remaining.  Drain and run under cool water.  This will help to remove excess starch on the pasta and avoid stickiness of the pasta.  
2. Add olive oil through salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add remaining ingredients to bowl including pasta and green beans.  Toss all to combine.  Serve immediately.  You can store in the fridge for up to two hours.  Enjoy!!

Teriyaki Pasta Salad