For His Master's Veneration: Puebla Poseidon Pasta

This pasta dish calls for an avocado based dressing, which makes it extra creamy. Whole-wheat pasta and fresh vegetables lighten up this healthy salad that you'll be making all summer long. The name derives from the Mexican city of Puebla. Well known for the production of wonderful avocados, and of course “Cinco de Mayo”. Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea to honor the taste of lobster. He is now also the god of salads.

It’s hard to think of a better pasta dressing for you. Avocados are packed with healthy fats, fiber, and vitamin K. Avocados help the body to absorb two key antioxidants—lycopene and beta-carotene. Just add some avocado or this dressing and your body will soak ’em right up.

The healthy avocado fats and yogurt helps the digestive tract, helps keep inflammation down and help to lower the risk of heart disease. You can't say the same thing about mayonnaise!

Ingredients

10 oz imitation lobster meat

8 ounces whole-wheat pasta(about 2 cups)

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup cubed colby jack cheese

2 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Dressing*:

1 ripe medium avocado

5oz nonfat yogurt

zest of a lime and its juice

½ tsp dried minced garlic

1 Tbs cilantro

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

*This makes a great salad dressing, a sauce for roasted vegetables, even a dip. You can use it in place of mayonnaise in chicken, ham, or egg salad.

Directions:

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. While that cooks, do your cutting: chop the onions, bell pepper, and celery.

When cooking pasta please note that if it were to be served hot, you want it to be cooked to “al dente” or slightly firm – then not rinsed. However for pasta salads, it is served cold. So please cook it 2 minutes PAST “al dente”, then rinse well under cold water. For the kitchen scientist, look up the process called retrogradation, otherwise: just do it and take the compliments!

Drain, rinse pasta with cold water; drain again. Transfer to a large bowl. Add bell pepper, celery, green onions and cilantro.

Stir in the lobster meat. Cover and place in refrigerator for an hour to blend flavors.

Cut the lime in half first, then cut the avocados.

Cut into the avocado down to the pit. Run the knife around from top to bottom, remove pit and scoop flesh into a food processor. Add yogurt, garlic, cilantro, lime zest and squeeze some juice in.

Process until smooth. You want a thick dressing. Taste to adjust with salt & pepper.

Just before serving, add the avocado dressing to the large bowl with the salad and stir until well coated. Keep salad covered to slow any browning of the avocado.