Kids are noodle nuts. They will eat spaghetti with tomato sauce, yet shy away from vegetables. Say the word "vegetable" and kids start to make faces. Though middle and high school kids will eat vegetables, they are selective about the ones they eat.

My 15-year old grandchildren (they are fraternal twins) pretend to eat vegetables by moving them around on their plates. What could I do? I combined pasta and vegetables, and added a tangy lemon dressing. The ratio of vegetables to pasta is five to one, and I think that's pretty darned good.

The directions say you should marinate the salad for three hours before serving. The longer pasta marinates the more dressing it absorbs. You may need more dressing than the recipe calls for if you marinate the salad all afternoon or overnight. My grandchildren loved the salad so much they went back for seconds, and my grandson went back for thirds.

This is not an exact recipe and you may play around with it. If you have leftover veggies toss them into the salad. Make the vegetarian version or add your protein of choice (see below). Customize the salad to your kids' tastes. Kids who do not like black olives may eat green. If your kids hate onions leave them out. You may leave out the roasted red peppers and substitute Cheddar for feta cheese.

While the salad tastes good year-round, it tastes especially good in the summer, when fresh vegetables are available, and tomatoes taste like they are supposed to. Vegetable-Pasta salad is the perfect picnic dish. Just remember to keep it cold.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups small pasta (shells, rings, tubes, spirals), cooked

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup English cucumber, chopped

1 cup frozen petite peas, defrosted

1 cup shredded carrots (from a bag)

3 scallions (white parts and green), thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced black olives

7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons (or more) fresh basil, cut into narrow strips

4 ounces fat-free feta cheese

Dressing

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra light olive oil

1 teaspoon salt-free lemon and pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon low sodium salt

Protein of Choice: 1 small can water-packed tuna, or 1 cup cooked shrimp, or 1 cup chicken cut into

bite-size pieces, or 1 cup ham, cut into bite-size pieces

METHOD

Make salad dressing and set aside. Put ingredients into a large bowl. Add your protein of choice and salad dressing. Marinate for at least three hours. Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson