Whole-Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese
April 27th, 2009 | 
* 1/2 pound whole-wheat fusilli or other spiral shaped pasta
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1/2 cup diced red onion
* 1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
* 2 tablespoons walnut oil
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 1 clove of garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
* 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
In a dry saute pan toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the walnuts aside to cool then chop them coarsely.
In a large bowl, toss together the chilled pasta, walnuts, feta cheese, onion, and spinach. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
