Healthy Exposures' SchoolHouse Pasta Salad

Thanks to Jess from the Healthy Exposures blog for this twist on a classic that she created as part of Foodzie's Blogger Tasting Panel.

- ¼ cup raw walnuts, soaked in water for at least an hour

- ¼ cup water

- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

- ⅛ teaspoon salt (more or less, to taste)

- 4 tablespoons SchoolHouse Kitchen^® Horseradish-Dill Mustard

- 150 grams macaroni (I’d recommend elbows or something of the like. I had rotini on hand and that worked, too.)

- 1 cup shredded or finely cut carrots

- sunflower seeds, optional, for garnishing

Prepare the pasta in salted water and otherwise as indicated on the box, adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the water.

While waiting for the pasta, work on your sauce: drain the walnuts and add to a blender with the ¼ cup of water. Blend until smooth. Add the salt and mustard and pulse until combined. Set aside.

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and transfer to a medium sized bowl. Allow to cool a bit (I threw it in the fridge for a minute or two) before adding in the carrots and the sauce. Stir to combine. Allow to chill for at least an hour before serving. Garnish with sunflower seeds for an extra salty crunch!

This is best served the same day, but if you have leftovers or if you make it in the morning and then eat it later on in the day, you might need to drizzle in a little olive oil, as the sauce gets absorbed the longer it sits.

Serves 2 - 3

Check out the original recipe and review of our Horseradish-Dill Mustard here.