Greek Orzo Salad

Yes it is Greek again! I can't help it. What else am I going to put in my orzo salad??? My only hope it that maybe I am rubbing off on you and you like Greek as much as I do now.

So when we were at Whole Foods I saw this great looking orzo salad at their spectacular food bar and it made me want to make something similar asap. I grabbed this quick because honestly I haven't looked for whole wheat orzo in town and I didn't want to be sorry if I couldn't find it here.

For those of you who don't know orzo is considered a pasta. This particular one had much more of a pasta texture then other brands I have purchased in the past.

I cooked half of the bag according to the package directions. You definitely want it to be al dente for a salad so set a timer so you do not overcook it. Also, save a bit of that starchy water you cooked in for the dressing.

This is what I mixed into my salad. Spinach, red onion, roasted red pepper, Greek olives, a little lemon zest and of course feta! Call me uncreative if you must but I just have a love affair with Greek food!

Gently toss that all together in a bowl.

While my pasta was cooking I made a dressing with these ingredients dried basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Greek seasoning, and lemon juice. I was in a hurry or I would have used some of my new basil cubes but they were frozen. I also mixed in with the dressing a bit of the cooking water which helps the sauce coat the pasta.

I topped it off with a bit more feta of course and we ate some falafel chips on the side with some store bought hummus for lunch. Delicious! Even better the second day.

In other news......

My 100th blog post is coming up soon. I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway of a few of my favorite things to thank you all for being so supportive and encouraging and for continuing to read my little blog. Come back soon for details about entering and what I will be giving away.

Greek Orzo Salad

8oz. whole wheat orzo ( reserve 1/4 cup cooking water)

1 - 1 1/2  cups spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 a red onion diced

1/2 cup roasted red pepper, diced

1/2 cup Greek olives, sliced

1/2 cup crumbled feta

zest of half a lemon

Dressing:

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. Greek seasoning

Instructions: Cook orzo according to package directions and reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. While the pasta is cooking prepare your dressing and ingredients. Drain pasta and add back your reserved 1/4 cup of cooking water. Add all other ingredients and gently toss. Pour dressing over and mix well. Top with more feta.