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orzo salad with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, feta and a lemon vinaigrette

tonight we will be having the salad above with some grilled indonesian chicken. the orzo salad is quick to put together and you can add or take out whatever you want. daniel is not a fan of uncooked tomatoes so he will be picking those little gems out. more for me! it would be equally tasty with broccoli and red onion, or u could add some leftover rotisserie chicken to make it a full meal. carbs? check. lean protein? check. veggies? check.

orzo salad

1 small bag orzo, cooked and drained

10-15 cherry tomatoes

2T chopped fresh italian parsley

1 bunch of asparagus, steamed for 5 minutes, cut into 2 inch pieces

4-5 ounces crumbled feta

lemon vinaigrette

2 lemons, zested and then juiced

1t dijon mustard

1/2 shallot, minced

5T olive oil

salt +pepper

whisk all ingredients together. simple. see? you can do this.

pour vinaigrette immediately over orzo after it is drained and placed in a large bowl. the orzo will absorb the vinaigrette much more if you add it while the pasta is still hot. let cool 15 minutes. then toss in asparagus, parsley, tomatoes and chunks of feta cheese. i like it best served very cold, the next day. this is a tasty and healthy dish to take to a potluck or to make as a side for your next bbq.

for the grilled indonesian chicken, i actually used this recipe for indonesian swordfish from barefoot contessa. she also has a recipe for indonesian chicken but i thought i would like the flavors of the swordfish marinade better. i made the marinade yesterday so that it could sit on the chicken in the fridge overnight. for most of  the marinades that i make for chicken and beef, i let them sit in the fridge and marinade the meat overnight. this lets all the flavors of the marinade really get into the meat and it is so much more flavorful that way. we have never had this chicken before so i will let y’all know how it turns out. but the marinade alone smells amazing- full of ginger and garlic and soy sauce. i think this recipe will be a keeper.

now please tell me, what are YOU having for dinner tonight? i am always looking for inspiration for weeknight meals and since i know many of you have full time jobs and 1 or 2 mini people to take care of, i bet you have some quick and tasty meals that you go to for the weeknights. please, share….

NOTE- the indonesian chicken turned out delicious, but,  listen close- do not marinade it in the marinade overnight with the lemon juice and zest in there. the citrus de-natured the chicken (ie made it fall apart on the grill!). make the marinade minus the citrus and put the chicken in that overnight. then 1-2 hours before you are getting ready to grill the chicken, add the juice and zest to the chicken and marinade and mix it around really well. the flavor was awesome, but next time we will avoid the chicken falling apart by adding the citrus later. thats all. proceed.