Pasta salad with avocado, tomatoes and olives

In the past few days I've seen lots of status updates from my American friends counting down the days till the three day weekend, looking forward to Labor Day. I have to admit I had completely forgotten all about it being right around the corner —I have a whole new set of holidays to remember here, and my memory is what it is, so keep track of everyone's holidays proves to be difficult. Anyway, good old Facebook helps me remember some of them, and I thought I'd post a recipe that is ideal for Labor Day grilling and parties. If you are tired of good ol' macaroni salad, that is, which I am since many of you might know by know that I'm not the biggest mayo fan.

So, for all of you who don't like mayo: there's absolutely none in this recipe. The pasta salad gets its creaminess from the avocado, which is not only delicious but it's also good for you. The other ingredients —fresh tomatoes, olives, evoo, Parmesan cheese, olives— compliment the avocado flavor nicely and the result is a refreshing dish that is a little different from your usual pasta salad.

And now I'm off to Bologna —not to eat like a pig, for once, but for the Arcade Fire concert. So excited!

PASTA SALAD WITH AVOCADO

1 box of penne pasta or other short pasta
1 avocado
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
A handful black olives
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and let cool, drizzling with olive oil so that it doesn't get gluey.

In a food processor pulse the avocado with the cheese and enough olive oil to obtain a smooth cream.

When pasta is cold, add avocado mixture, black olives, tomatoes and season with crushed red pepper and more olive oil if needed.