Pasta Salad with Maple Smoked Salmon for the Heat Wave

The heat wave is still here with a vengeance - not complaining, just stating the facts. I'm too hot and lethargic to complain. Last night we ordered a pizza because the thought of cooking...well, it wasn't going to happen. But it's Presto Pasta Night tomorrow and Helen of Fuss Free Flavours is hosting, and I really did want to get a dish in before the deadline tonight.

One good thing about living in Halifax, even if we don't have an air conditioner, is that things cool down dramatically during the night. So this morning, before it gets crazy hot here, I cooked some Wacky Mac - not only are they cute, they're high in folic acid and 15% of the iron you need each day...not to mention that they are made from real, all-natural tomato, spinach and beet ingredients.

Non-recipe for a hot day: toss cooked, drained short pasta with 1 tbsp olive oil, handful or two of chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano and arugula today) and "dressing" (today was balsamic apple cider vinegar, honey mustard and enough olive oil - tablespoon or two) to blend. It should be quite tangy before adding to the pasta which will tame it somewhat. Then add some flaked tuna or...my favorite...maple spiced smoked salmon.

It's sitting in my fridge, just raring to go for dinner...only one problem...will I restrain myself from eating it all at lunch? Good thing I made the entire package of pasta, so it should be enough for lunch AND dinner!

It's still early, so send any pasta dish to Helen before midnight tonight and she'll add it to tomorrow's roundup. Just write a post, mention Presto Pasta Night and Fuss Free Flavours with links, and email the link to helen (at) fussfreeflavours (dot) com and cc me: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.