Fresh Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups tri-color rotini pasta (optional)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion (such as Vidalia), chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 pinch fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook the rotini in boiling water until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water until cooled completely; drain. Transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, and honey together in a bowl; drizzle over pasta and toss to coat. Fold tomatoes, sweet onion, cucumber, carrots, celery, garlic, green onions, parsley, and cilantro individually into the pasta mixture to assure even distribution. Season with black pepper.