Greek Pasta Salad

This is a bright, fresh salad, which is just the ticket on a hot summer day.
8 oz favorite pasta shape
8 oz favorite marinated olives
palmful fresh basil leaves
1 15-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 large fresh ripe tomato, diced
4 oz goat cheese

Dressing:
juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
1/4 cup olive oil
dash salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Drain, toss with a dash of olive oil and allow to cool to room temperature.

When pasta is cool, mix together with the olives and basil. Gently fold in the artichokes and tomatoes.

I used Trader Joe’s olive marinated in lemon and herbs and tossed the whole package in, including the marinade. So I used only a dash of the dressing. If you don’t have a marinade, you can dress the salad with the dressing. Don’t use olive brine as a dressing - too salty.

Gently fold mixture together and dot with the goat cheese.
Serves 4 as lunch or 6 as a side salad.