This is a doctored up version inspired by a relative from my past. Delicious! Refreshing! And can be adjusted to your tastes! 🙂

Here is my favorite version. And as far as amounts go, I don’t have any. I like to cook by how I feel. So cut the veggies and if you decide you want more, add more. Go with how you feel. If you like onions, add extra onions. If you don’t like too much carrots, then add just enough for color. You see what I mean? I’m planned in every part of my life except my recipes. But so far it has worked for me. Anyway here you go.

 Spring Crab Pasta Salad

• Imitation Crab (or if you have enough money, go for it and add chunks of the real deal!)
• tri-colored pasta (I prefer a mixed grain)
• Vegenaise (or Mayonnaise if you want the real stuff, or even just some light olive oil if you don’t do mayo)
• diced red and yellow bell pepper
• diced red onion
• diced green onion (chive and bulb)
• shredded carrots (I prefer to shred them myself. They’re thinner and sweeter!)
• diced red cabbage
• sliced celery
• chopped cilantro
• thinly diced jalepeno (I don’t know how to add the tilde)
• diced medium cheddar cheese
• diced pepper jack cheese
• cranberries (lots! Don’t be scared. This is the favorite part of everyone who tries this salad!)

Find a big, big bowl. Cook pasta, rinse in cold water. As the pasta is cooking, chop up veggies. After you rinse the pasta in cold water, pour into your big, big bowl.  Add veggies, mayonaise, and crab and mix thoroughly. Add more veggies or crab or mayo as you see fit.

If I don’t have imitation crab, I substitute the meat with canned chicken or tuna. With these meats, the cranberries are still divine, but raisins are also a good swap if you need a change. I sometimes add pesto to the mix if I am using chicken, which is a nice change sometimes too. But the above recipe is my all time favorite and it has been a hit with everyone I know who has tried it. Enjoy!