My Sweet Babe

Orzo salad is a family favorite and I thought it would be the perfect dish to bring to my volleyball BBQ last Saturday. It is easy, refreshing, healthy, serves a lot of people and is perfect for hot California summer days.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives

2 Bell Peppers diced (Yellow and Orange for color)

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes

4 Green Onions diced

1/2 cup feta

1/4 cup red onion diced

1/2 cucumber sliced lengthwise then diced

Dressing (two options)

I initially made a lemon vinaigrette dressing but decided that I didn’t really like it to much. If you want to give it a try, here is what I mixed together.

Whisk together 1/2 cup (3 fresh squeezed lemons) lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

When I decided that dressing may not be a crowd favorite I went to my cupboards and pulled out fig & walnut balsamic vinaigrette I had and I have to say it was delicious.

Directions

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes until it’s cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the dressing to the warm orzo to let the flavors blend. Set aside and let the orzo cool for 1 hour.

Add all of the vegetables you cut up in to a bowl together and set aside.

Once the orzo has cooled, combined with the vegetables. Here, you can either serve (if you do, add the feta here) or put it in the refrigerator overnight (this is what I did). Once you take it out of the refrigerator the next day, add 1/2 cup of dressing to add a little bit a flavor, feta and mix everything together.

Enjoy!

xx

Andrea