lemon

Recipe: Lemony Fresh Orzo Salad

To quote my nieces and nephew “FOMO is real” and I couldn’t agree more. It’s been so grey and rainy here in Toronto that I’m missing the sunshine. Where is it?  I bet it’s at a party! Did I miss the invite? Why hasn’t it been around? GHAAAA! I can’t take this! Let me check @instagram. I’m missing out on something great! Maybe. Umm, probably not. Who knows where it is and what it’s doing I just miss it and decided to stop obsessing. I’m taking matters into my own hands.  Did you know that adding lemon to just about any dish will give you instant sunshine? 

Give this beauty a try and let me know if it brightens up your day.

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Lemony Fresh Orzo Salad

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 15 MINS
AUTHOR: Mary Mammoliti / Kitchen Confession

INGREDIENTS:

  • 12 ounces uncooked orzo

  • 2 large handfuls fresh arugula, chopped

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

  • 1 English cucumber, diced

  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed

  • 1 cup roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves

  • 1/2 head radicchio, roughly-chopped fresh

Lemony Dressing:

  • 2 lemons, juiced

  • 1 tablespoon rice wine or white vinegar

  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

  • optional: 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water until al dente, according to package instructions.  Drain pasta then rinse thoroughly in a strainer with cold water until the pasta is chilled.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

  2. Add all the lemony dressing ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk for 1-2 minutes, or until the dressing begins to look creamy. Set aside.

  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl. , pour dressing over and toss to combine.  Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.

  4. Serve immediately.  Or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

NOTE:

If you do not use all the dressing store in a sealed jar in your fridge for up to one week.

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