How quickly Father’s Day came upon us this year! So, if you’re looking for a special way to show Dad that you care, what better way than to fix something special from the garden on his big day?
Summer gardens provide us with a wonderful variety of fresh vegetables we can use in so many ways. My mom believed a garden was important to a family and always had one when I was growing up. It’s not easy keeping a garden weed-free or keeping it watered when Mother Nature doesn’t provide enough rain, but the extra effort is well worth it.
It always seemed we had every vegetable imaginable, and more than we needed for our summer meals, so some of the bounty was given to family and friends and the rest was either canned or frozen for winter use.
Fresh salads were part of almost every summer supper, and we always had lettuce on our sandwiches. If we didn’t have any lunch meat or bacon in the refrigerator, then sometimes we had what Mom called “garden sandwiches,” which included red-ripe tomato slices, freshly picked and cleaned bibb lettuce or Swiss chard, sliced radishes and perhaps a piece of cheese between two slices of bread, one of them slathered with a mayonnaise/mustard combination. The vegetables tasted so good we didn’t even miss the meat.
If you have fresh garden greens, here’s a way to use them that just might make Dad happy. This unique pasta salad, with nuts, coconut, strawberries and greens, is a sweet accompaniment to barbecue, fried chicken or seafood, making your Father’s Day meal one Dad won’t soon forget.
SWEET PASTA SALAD
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/3 cup flaked coconut, toasted
4 cups torn salad greens
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and 1/2 cup strawberries in a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth and slightly thickened, about 30 seconds.
Drain the pasta; rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add oil and toss to coat. Add coconut and remaining strawberries; toss gently. Place the greens in a serving bowl; top with pasta mixture. Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 6-8 servings.
Note: If you love strawberries, you can increase the amount used in this recipe. I prefer to use a whole cup of strawberries in the “dressing” and the rest of a quart of strawberries sliced into the salad.
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