Sugar Snap Pea & Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sugar_snap_pea_cherry_tomato_pasta_salad.html

From EatingWell:  July/August 1997

Try this colorful pasta salad, full of crunchy snap peas and juicy tomatoes, at your next summer potluck.

6 servings | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces whole-wheat bowtie pasta
• 8 ounces fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 2 cups; see Tip)
• 2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking pasta.
2. Meanwhile, puree cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or mini food processor. Add buttermilk and oil; process until smooth. Scrape into a storage container and stir in dill, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
3. Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
4. Place pasta and peas in a large storage container and toss with tomatoes and scallions. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Just before serving, toss salad with dressing.

Nutrition

Per serving : 213 Calories; 4 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 3 mg Cholesterol; 35 g Carbohydrates; 11 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 182 mg Sodium; 217 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat, 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the dressing and salad separately for up to 8 hours.

• Tips: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
• To remove the stem and strings at the same time from sugar snap peas, hold the stem between your thumb and index finger, snap and pull down.