Hello, friends! I have a sweet treat for you today – or rather, two sweet treats!

Introducing two new companion recipes! Our summer pasta salads, in partnership with the wonderful Kaslo Sourdough Pasta!

When Heidi over at Kaslo Sourdough and I were discussing what we’d like to bring to the table (or perhaps ‘picnic’ is a better word!) this summer, we knew we wanted to bring a taste of the Okanagan to your recipe lineup. And what could be more classic ‘Okanagan’ than ripe and juicy fruit, fresh from our orchards? And as you all have been loving up our plant-based recipes more and more over the past year, we knew we wanted these recipes to be delicious and accessible to all of our sweet followers. That’s why we decided to reach out to the friendly folks over at Little Creek Dressing, and Spread ‘Em Kitchen to see if they would like to join us in these recipes, and we were delighted when both brands happily accepted our invitation! Both of these brands whip up the finest plant-based products in their kitchens, right here in beautiful B.C. Both also have online shopping available!

Starring Kaslo’s award-winning sourdough noodles, Little Creek’s umami rich dressing, and Spread ‘Em’s velvety cashew cheeze, these recipes are so tasty we’d be willing to bet your guests would never even guess that they are plant-based. All of the ingredients meld together exceptionally, with a decadent mouthfeel you’ll be craving again long after the last bite is gone. Luckily, you can make these recipes again and again before the summer season is over!

These are the perfect recipes to bring to any gathering this summer (they bring the ‘wow’ factor with their presentation alone!), or to prep a large batch of at the beginning of the week to take for work lunches. I can also confirm that they are excellent for beach snacking, as my husband Tristan and I took the pastas to the lake after this shoot, and indulged to the fullest! In a word, yum.

In this post you’ll find the recipe for our Sweet & Sour Cherry Balsamic Pasta Salad, and you can find our Sweet & Spicy Apricot Chili Pasta Salad here.

Read on, for the full Sweet & Sour Cherry Balsamic salad recipe…

Kaslo’s Sourdough Rotini is heaped with ripe and juicy Okanagan cherries, Spread ‘Em’s pink peppercorn and garlic feta-style cheeze, Little Creek’s silky Cherry Balsamic dressing, peppery arugula and fresh cucumber. This interesting salad not only tastes indulgent, but is also a great way to get more fruit and veggies into your daily diet!

INGREDIENTS

6c. Kaslo Sourdough Pasta’s Classic Rotini 
1/2 of a jar of Spread’em Kitchen’s Pink Peppercorn and Garlic Marinated Feta
1c. Little Creek Dressing’s Cherry Balsamic Dressing
2c. Pitted, halved Okanagan cherries (at peak ripeness)
6c. Lightly packed arugula
1/2c. Diced cucumber
1/4c. Toasted pecans 
2tbsp. Dried cranberries 

It’s not a picnic without pasta salad! Feed your family the best with Kaslo Sourdough’s digestion-friendly noodles.

METHOD

Bring a medium-sized salted pot of water to boil, and cook Kaslo’s rotini according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and strain thoroughly. Pour into a tightly sealed food safe container, and refrigerate. For best results, cook your pasta the day before. This handy trick gives your noodles time to ‘firm up’, and allows your dressings to better enrobe those delicious pasta noodles without soaking right in.

Next, slice and pit your cherries, and dice your cucumber. Set aside. In a small frying pan, toast your pecans on low heat, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Do not butter or oil your pan.

When you are ready to assemble your salad, toss pasta, cherries, cucumber, 1/2 of the arugula, dried cranberries, feta cheeze, and the dressing together, along with a healthy drizzle of the oil from the Spread ‘Em’s Feta (make sure to get some of those pink peppercorns into the salad!). If taking on a picnic, bring along the remaining arugula along with the toasted pecans in a separate container.

Before serving, garnish pasta salad with the remaining arugula and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Serve, and enjoy! I guarantee your guests will flock to this original take on a classic picnic side dish. You can refrigerate any leftovers up to a week afterwards (use your best judgement), thanks to it’s plant-based ingredients!

If you haven’t tried Little Creek Dressing’s array of vegan dressings yet, you are in for a treat, my friend! The Cherry Balsamic blend is out of this world, and if you haven’t tried LC’s classic ‘Okanagan’s Original’ dressing, I highly suggest adding to cart. It goes with everything from salads, to pastas, to Buddha bowls, and is even great for drizzling over roasted veggies!

Spread ‘Em’s feta cheeze is a revelation – I defy you to try not to eat it straight from the jar! Side note, I may need another jar…

Bursting with cherries in every bite!

This pasta salad is perfectly paired with Arrowleaf Cellar’s Field Collection Red, a barrel-aged blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Zweigelt and 15% Pinot Noir. With tasting notes of blackberry, dark cherry and mint, with notes of vanilla and toasted oak, this wine is a match made in heaven for cherry dishes, desserts, and bath tub sipping.

Thanks for checking out this recipe today! I hope you enjoy both of our companion fruit inspired pasta recipes as much as we do. They are sure to become family favourites, to be added to your summer rotation each time cherries and apricots hit your local farm stands. Be sure to give Kaslo and I a follow on IG if you liked what you found here, we have many more recipes to explore on the blog as well! Our Harvest Pasta with Roasted Root Veggies is a standout you won’t want to miss heading into fall!

xo, Jamie