*Tips:  Thoroughly rinse the cooked pasta in cold water until the pasta is cold, then shake off any excess water and allow to drain for a few minutes, then shake the pasta again.  Lift up the pasta with your fingers and wiggle with your fingers (to release extra trapped water) as elbow macaroni really tends to hold onto water inside the little tubes of pasta and you want to get as much of that out as possible. Any lingering water that hangs onto the pasta will water down your dressing.  The same goes for draining and rinsing the chickpeas, thoroughly rinse them, but also shake off as much excess water as you can.

*Grated Carrots:  We used a vegetable julienne peeler to cut the carrots into long thin strips, then cut those into small pieces.  We used grated carrots in previous kitchen tests, and while grated carrots work perfectly in this recipe, we really enjoyed the texture of the peeled julienne carrots. We tried diced carrots as well, they were just a tad too crunchy. We suggest grated or julienned carrots.  For those interested, we used a Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler.

*Unsalted Almond Butter Substitutions:  We used 2 Tablespoons of almond butter, but you can cut this back to 1 Tablespoon if you wish, just adjust your Dijon mustard (scale back) according to taste preferences as the almond butter adds a nice creaminess to the dish. You can also swap out the almond butter completely and replace it with a silken tofu for a nut-free version, but you may need to ramp up spices based upon what you swap out the almond butter with.

*Unsweetened Plain Plant Yogurt Substitutions:  You can use a cashew cream (with a yogurt-style consistency) if you can’t find unsweetened plain plant yogurt.

*Dijon Mustard:  We used French’s Stone Ground Dijon Mustard – Our Boldest Dijon Yet! As you probably know, Dijon mustards vary greatly in flavor and strength.  We chose a bold Dijon mustard simply because we like really bold flavors. Feel free to use your favorite Dijon mustard. Taste test the dressing as you build the sauce to suit your personal preferences.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs. 

*Gluten Free Pasta:  If using a gluten free pasta, then you know the issues with refrigerating gluten free pasta. Some gluten free pastas really tighten up in the refrigerator making for a very unpleasant eating experience when served cold.  We absolutely loved this pasta salad right after making it at room temperature.  It was crazy delicious. If you do have to refrigerate it before serving or refrigerate any left-overs, we suggest removing it from the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

*Elbow Macaroni:  We used Bionaturae 100% Organic Gluten Free Pasta – Elbows. 

*Serving: 4  (makes 4 cups)

*Storage:  Refrigerate, use within 5 days.