Southwestern Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

I'm generally not a big fan of pasta salads, but when I saw this recipe, for whatever reason, I was excited to try it. We had some friends over for a barbeque over the weekend, which presented the perfect opportunity. Everyone loved it, so I'll consider that success! I will definitely be making it again!

For the salad:
8 ounces pasta (I used Rotini)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced orange or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 large avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lime, for juicing over the salad
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

For the Creamy Avocado Dressing:
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeds removed
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and stir in the pasta. Cook until al dente. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, make the Creamy Avocado Dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, black beans, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, corn, and chopped avocado. Pour dressing over pasta salad and stir until salad is well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the salad, so the avocados don't brown. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note-you may have leftover dressing, depending on how "dressed" you like your pasta salad. If the dressing is too thick, add more buttermilk.

Source: TwoPeasAndTheirPod.com: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/southwestern-pasta-salad-with-creamy-avocado-dressing/