Hello there, and welcome to the blog! I am so delighted to share my newest recipe with Kaslo Sourdough – or rather, two new recipes!

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 & Spicy Apricot Chili Pasta Salad, and you can find our Sweet & Sour Cherry Balsamic Pasta Salad here.

Read on, for the full Sweet & Spicy Apricot Chili salad recipe…

Kaslo’s Sourdough Macaroni is loaded with fragrant Okanagan apricots, Spread ‘Em’s savoury ‘The Delight’ Apricot and Chili cashew cheeze, Little Creek’s silky Asian Apricot dressing, crisp snow peas and fresh celery. This tender pasta salad will both tingle your tastebuds and sneak more fruit and vegetables onto your families plates!

INGREDIENTS

6c. Kaslo Sourdough Pasta’s Classic Macaroni 
1 package Spread’em Kitchen’s ‘The Delight’ Cashew Cheeze Block
1c. Little Creek Dressing’s Asian Apricot Dressing
2c. Pitted, halved apricots (extra ripe to lessen the tartness)
1/2c. Carrots
1/2c. Snow peas
1/2c. Celery
1/4c. Slivered almonds 
8 Dried apricots 
2-3 chili peppers (optional)
Assorted chili peppers (optional garnish)
Pea shoots (optional garnish)

You’ll love Kaslo’s gut-friendly fermented pasta noodles – those with gluten-sensitivities may even be able to enjoy pasta again with this unique formulation! Be sure to consult your doctor before changing your diet.

METHOD

Bring a medium-sized salted pot of water to boil, and cook Kaslo’s macaroni 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 apricots, and dice into bite-sized pieces. Wash and chop snow peas into thirds. Chop carrots into matchsticks, and celery into 1/2 inch pieces. Finely dice dried apricots into tidbits, and set all ingredients aside until ready to assemble.

***if you wish to add a spicy kick, dice up a few chili peppers to add to the pasta. Alternatively, bring in a separate container and allow guests to add to their pasta if they wish. The peppers are optional for this dish, especially if feeding tiny bellies!

When you are ready to assemble your salad, toss pasta, apricots, peas, carrots, dried apricots, The Delight cheeze, and the dressing together. If taking on a picnic, bring along the pea shoots, chili peppers, and slivered almonds in a separate container.

Before serving, garnish pasta salad with the pea shoots, peppers, and almonds.

Serve, and enjoy! Your guests will LOVE this zesty twist on the 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!

Little Creek’s Asian Apricot dressing will be an instant hit in your home! Another not to be missed? LC’s new Lemon Turmeric dressing! I love dipping cucumber and celery into this zingy yellow dressing.

Spread ‘Em’s The Delight cheeze block will become a fast favourite; it’s also great as a plant-based snack with crackers and chili olives!

Crisp, fresh goodness, by the forkful!

This pasta salad is perfectly paired with Arrowleaf Cellar’s Field Collection White, a blend of Auxerrois, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. With notes of ripe melon, quince and floral aromas, this wine is a perfect pairing for a light and fresh pasta salad just like our Sweet & Spicy Apricot Chili Pasta Salad. Also enjoy it while watching your favourite TV show or relaxing on the patio!

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.

Please give Kaslo and I a follow on IG if you liked this recipe, we have many more recipes to explore on the blog as well! Another great summer recipe? My sister Danielle’s Creamy Garden Veggie Pasta Salad, loaded with red onion, sun dried tomatoes, cheddar cheese and more, it’s a winner you won’t want to miss!

xo, Jamie