Memorial Day....Part 4.....Macaroni Salad

Ok.....this is the end of the story!

CLASSIC MACARONI SALAD

Makes 8 Servings

1 Serving = 2/3 Cup = 3 PointsPlus™

8 oz. uncooked macaroni, elbow-variety

1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)

1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup celery, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 TBSP parsley, fresh, chopped

1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and garlic powder; stir mixture into cooked macaroni. Fold in celery, onion and parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or chilled.

GREEN BEAN SALAD

Makes 6 Servings

1 Serving = 3/4 Cup = 0 PointsPlus™

12 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed

8 oz. yellow and/or red cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

Basil-Tomato Vinaigrette (to follow)

In a medium saucepan, cook green beans, covered, in a small amount of boiling, lightly salted water, about 8 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a large bowl, combine beans, cherry tomato halves and red onion slices. Drizzle with Basil-Tomato Vinaigrette; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill before serving.

BASIL-TOMATO VINAIGRETTE: In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup snipped fresh basil, 3 TBSP red wine vinegar, 2 TBSP snipped dried tomatoes*, 1 TBSP olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/5 tsp pepper. Makes @ 2/3 cup.

*Tip: to soften dried tomatoes for the vinaigrette, soak them in enough boiling water to cover for 5 minutes, drain well.

TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD

Makes 4 Servings

1 Serving = 0 PointsPlus™

4 small tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Kraft Free Zesty Italian Dressing

Arrange veggies on a serving plate. Drizzle with dressing.

WHAT!!!!! No baked beans???? C'mon! You have just prepared an awesome WW friendly feast! Give yourself a break and open up a can of Bush's Grillin' Beans....the Black Bean Fiesta variety. One serving is 1/2 cup is 3 PointsPlus.

And for a fun, easy dessert.....

CHOCOLATE YOGURT POPS

Makes 4 servings

1 Serving = 1 Pop = 1 PointsPlus™

1 8-oz container plain non-fat yogurt

1/4 cup sugar-free cocoa mix

1/4 cup Splenda granulated

4 popsicle sticks

4 3-oz paper cups

Mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Spoon mixture into 4 paper cups. Set cups in a muffin pan or on a flat plate. Place popsicle sticks in the center. Freeze for @3 hours or until solid. Peel away cups before serving.

There ya have it folks! And now I think I'll go soak my fingers in some nice warm water! LOL

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court! *The PointsPlus™ values for the recipes in these 4 Memorial Day pages were calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of these recipes by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark.*

Later!

Loving Life(time)!

Jan