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Monday, April 1, 2013

Summer Orzo Salad

Hi! Hello! Shalom, Ciao, Salut!

Welcome to Fork & Knife & Spoon, a fun food blog designed to encourage YOU to eat your way to a healthier lifestyle. We are Katie and Megan, cousins and MN transplants and now cooking for two. We have a passion for cooking, baking, and most importantly EATing.

Our blog will:
  • Feature healthy, mostly healthy, and on occasion not healthy (we believe in occasional indulgences) recipes - both our own originals and the best from around the web!!
  • Tips and tricks
  • Reviews, products we love, new ingredients, restaurants, you name it!
  • A few fun surprises...stay tuned!

We hope you enjoy reading, and learn a little something along the way.  And with no further ado........

Who likes orzo!?
Who likes cucumber!?
Who likes feta!?
Who likes the non-spring like temps!?

This super easy orzo salad recipe will remind you of warmer temperatures no matter what time of year. It is versatile, filling, tasty and most importantly healthy.  It is loosely based off of Ina Garten's Roasted Shrimp and Orzo, but modified to cut the cals, sodium and time.

Servings: 6
Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped red pepper
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced


Directions:
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 pinch of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/8 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion to the orzo. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Tip: 
I prefer kosher salt to any other.  You only need a pinch to add an amazing amount of flavor. Make your husband buy you one of these cute little salt cellars from Crate and Barrel and you are in business!

XOXO Katie

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