Somewhere Over The Rainbow Pasta Salad

For the Salad

• Pasta of choice
• Red veggies and/or fruit
• Orange veggies and/or fruit
• Yellow veggies and/or fruit
• Green veggies and/or fruit
• Blue veggies and/or fruit
• Purple veggies and/or fruit

For the Dressing

• 0.25 c creamy tahini
  
• Juice of a lemon
• Dash of maple syrup
• Generous sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Grill the veggies that you're planning to cook. These could include squash, sweet potatoes, peppers, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts, corn, etc. Remember that, at least for certain veggies (e.g. peppers), you can have some grilled and some raw for an interesting contrast in textures and flavors. You may need to work in batches. Let them cool to room temperature before you assemble the salad.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is done, drain it and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss it in a bit of olive oil so that it doesn't stick together.
3. Prep the raw ingredients as needed by rinsing, slicing, etc. These could include cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, berries, etc.
4. Make the dressing by stirring together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Taste it and adjust as necessary to get your desired flavor and thickness.
5. Assemble! Lay your ingredients out on a platter in rainbow order, interspersing the pasta, veggies, and fruits.
6. Drizzle it all with some tahini dressing, then serve additional dressing on the side.