Salad on a Stick

We Minnesotans love stuff on a stick, as evidenced by the ridiculous display of walleye, candy bars, bacon, fruit, hotdish, and whatnot you find on a stick at the MN State Fair.

Or so I've heard - I've only been to the state fair once and I didn't eat anything on a stick. Mostly because it's all deep fried. Don't get me wrong, I love deep fried food but it's not the healthiest option and when you see all the unhealthy people at the state fair, it's very easy to say "no thanks" to what they are eating.

Why not make something green and lean on a stick? It's a simple way to get some veggies into people at a summer party. Plus it looks really cool on a plate. And it's easy to eat while standing and mingling and waiting to watch some epic fireworks in beautiful downtown Minneapolis.

This is a pasta salad version of Salad on a Stick, but there's a lot of different ways to make it. A Greek salad on a stick would have cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, squares of feta cheese drizzled with a red wine/oregano vinaigrette. A caprese salad on a stick would have fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette. Do you know of any other salads that would work on a stick?

Salad on a Stick

Cheese-filled tortellini, from the refrigerator case at the store

Zucchini and yellow squash, cut into thick slices or chunks

Red and yellow peppers, cut into big squares

Cherry tomatoes

Turkey pepperoni

Extra large black olives

Italian vinaigrette (I bought one of those envelopes of spices and added oil and vinegar in my blender to make it good and whipped).

Boil your tortellini according to package directions then rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Thread all ingredients on skewers.

Arrange on a platter and drizzle with Italian vinaigrette.