Simple Sojourns

The weather is a changing in our neck of the woods. Summer is a coming … there’s no doubt about it. Summer brings delightful days at the beach and by the pool; road trips to visit relatives and camping trips to national parks; family reunions, picnics at the park and neighborhood pot luck dinners. Summer also brings good food. Good food and lots of it! Do you have a favorite go to summer dish that you take to summer activities? I’ve always liked pasta dishes. They’re easy to make and everyone seems to enjoy them. They’re also versatile so you can add or switch out ingredients to your heart’s desire. Today I took a favorite summertime pasta salad to a new level with Kraft Fresh Take.

Kraft Fresh Take meal kits are handy packages of seasoned breadcrumbs and cheeses. We chose the Italian Parmesan recipe which we easily found in the dairy section at our local Walmart Super Center. Check out the price! FreshTake is only $1.98 for an entire meal kit. And you can save $1.00 with this coupon. That is plain and simply an awesome deal. And to sweeten the deal even more, there’s an IRC (immediately redeemable coupon) on packages of chicken in the meat department. The coupon is worth $1.00 off one chicken item when you purchase Kraft Fresh Take. This coupon expires on July 31, 2013.

I have to admit I was skeptical. Skeptical of breadcrumbs and cheese packed together in a ready to go package. How could the ingredients stay fresh? The breadcrumbs were sure to be soggy. The cheese just had to be rubbery. But I was determined to have a go at Kraft Fresh Take and into our basket it went.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The breadcrumbs and cheese are packaged separately staying crisp and fresh. I simply pulled the zip tab and gently pulled the package open. After the temporary separation seal between the breadcrumbs and cheese was opened, I zipped sealed the package closed and shook the bag until everything was mixed. Easy Peasy! I was pleasantly surprised. Kraft Fresh Take was truly a perfect addition to our summertime family favorite pasta salad. I actually use this salad as a main dish since I’m a vegetarian, while the rest of my family eats it as a side dish with their choice of meat.

Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked Ziti Rigati or Penne pasta

3 medium zucchini

3 medium summer squash

1 small cauliflower (1/2 large)

2 carrots

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 package Kraft Fresh Take Italian Parmesan Recipe

1. Wash zucchini, summer squash, cauliflower and carrots.

2. Trim ends off the zucchini and summer squash. Slice lengthwise and then into 1 inch slices.

3. Chop or break cauliflower into small bite size pieces.

4. Slice and dice carrots.

5. Chop (do not press) garlic

6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the rack high in the oven. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil spray. I prefer coconut oil spray.

7. Spread the zucchini, summer squash, cauliflower, carrots and garlic evenly onto the baking sheet.

8. Drizzle with melted coconut oil or olive oil. If desired, season with salt and pepper.

9. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes checking often to avoid burning.

10. While vegetables are roasting, cook pasta as directed on box. The pasta should to be cooked to a firm stage. Do not over cook.

11. In a large bowl, gently mix the vegetables and pasta together.

Add the Kraft Fresh Take and toss until evenly mixed together. Chill and serve as is or with salad dressing of choice.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite recipe that can go to a new level with Kraft Fresh Take? You can check out the Kraft Fresh Possibilities Tour Truck to see if it’s stopping by your town. It’s an opportunity to try Fresh Take lunch truck style!

This is the new summer edition of Live SoFab. Gorgeous, yes? I’m a wee bit over the moon for it. The photos are gorgeous and it’s all about my favorite brands and Social Fabric community. I really think you’re going to love it as much as I do!

You can see our entire Kraft Fresh Take shopping experience in our Google+ album. (But I have to admit, we bought a whole lot more then what was on our list!) And follow #FreshTake on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on all their exciting happenings.

And now the obligatory disclosure statement: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client, Kraft Fresh Take.