Warm Orzo Salad

When you’re looking for a quick and healthy meal, there is nothing like a big hearty salad for dinner. On a rainy day, however, trading crisp and refreshing for warm and cozy, sounds pretty appetizing! So, how can you accomplish the latter without losing ease or nutrition? This week’s dreary weather provided the perfect opportunity to experiment. And, I might add, it was a complete success!

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Orzo (or Brown Rice)

Broccoli

Carrots

Red Pepper

Tomatoes

Spinach

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Garlic

I started with some whole wheat orzo, though brown rice would be another great option. As the orzo cooked (according to directions on the package), I raided my fridge for any salad type vegetables, turning up broccoli, carrots, red pepper, tomatoes and spinach. Deciding to increase the warmth factor by slightly roasting the broccoli, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees. Basting with a little olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper, I cooked it for seven minutes. While waiting for the orzo and broccoli, I chopped the remaining veggies, and made the “salad dressing”. In my opinion, less is often more when it comes to flavors, so my dressing was a couple tablespoons of olive oil with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a clove of garlic (if you’re not garlic-obsessed, you might want to leave that out).

By this time the hot ingredients had finished cooking, so, after draining the orzo, I began the quick job of assembling my masterpiece. In the largest pretty bowl I could find (which happened to be a serving dish), I placed a layer of spinach, then a few scoops of piping hot orzo, next the chopped veggies, and finally drizzled on the dressing. 

I found it was best served curled up on the couch with a glass of wine!

This post was written by, the one and only Christy C., who graciously rescues me in times of need…A.K.A I’m so overwhelmed and busy, I have not had a chance to write anything!