Lisa saw this recipe on 101 Cookbooks and immediately added it to her must-have list. The cool salad was a tasty treat during our mini-heatwave a few weeks ago. For the sprouts, we found a pack that included many varieties we hadn’t previously tried — they added crunch and texture to this healthy dish.

Orzo Super Salad
1 cup dried orzo pasta
8 – 10 medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 a medium head of broccoli, cut into small trees
small handful of mint, chopped

1 small clove of garlic, mashed with a big pinch of salt and chopped
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

a small handful of sprouts
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 small cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium avocado, sliced into small pieces
1/4 cup feta, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and boil the orzo per package instructions. 30 seconds before the orzo is finished cooking stir the asparagus and broccoli into the orzo pot. Cook for the final 30 seconds, drain and run under a bit of cold water to stop the cooking.

Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt into the dressing. Set aside.

To serve the salad, toss the orzo, asparagus, broccoli, and mint with about half the dressing. Add more dressing if needed, and toss well. Now add the sprouts, almonds, cucumber, avocado, and feta. Very gently toss a couple of times to distribute the ingredients throughout the salad and serve.

Serves 4.

This recipe from Elise’s Simply Recipes is quick and flavorful. Tilapia is cooked in a tomato, mushroom, and olive sauce, right on the stove. We served the fish with a side of orzo.

Lisa says:

My, these green olive chunks are big…

Chris says:

The better for you to pick them out, my dear.

Lisa says:

I’m not that picky, here, I’ll try one…

Chris says:

Yay!

Lisa says:

…and only one. I do like the flavor of the sauce though!

Chris says:

I like the speed of this dish. I’m all for getting food to my mouth sooner.

Tilapia with Pimiento Sauce
(via Simply Recipes)
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1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 6-8 ounce tilapia fillets

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil, then cook the onions until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, cooking for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Add each tilapia fillet to the pan and cover with some sauce. Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
Use a wide spatula to gently remove the fish from the pan, transfer to a serving plate, and top with the sauce.

4 Servings

After spending a long weekend in Santa Fe eating tons of Southwestern and Mexican food, we wanted to have a light dinner that didn’t take a lot of time to prepare. I found this recipe in the Weight Watchers Great Cooking Everyday cookbook. We served it with orzo tossed with lemon juice and parsley.

Lisa says:

Yay! Sushi?!

Chris says:

Looks like it, but nope… stuffed chicken breasts! But I’ll put it on our sushi plate set. This was super simple to make, and looks pretty cool.

Lisa says:

Yeah it looks complicated. I like it. You definitely need the tomatoes, they add a lot of flavor. I think it would be pretty bland without it.

Chris says:

Agreed. I do like that filling, though.

Gremolata-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Tomato Relish
—————————————————-
4 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

To prepare the relish, combine the tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bow; cover and let stand at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 450. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine the parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper, skinned side down. Pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Remove and discard the top sheet of wax paper; spread the chicken with the parsley mixture. Start with the narrower ends and roll each chicken breast around the filling. Remove and discard the rest of the wax paper.
Place the chicken, seam side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Slice each breast on the diagonal into four pieces. Serve with the relish.

Serves 4 (Yeah, right. In WW land. Try 2-3)

We knew we were going to be pressed for time tonight, so I made this super-easy, super-filling meal from the We [Heart] Food recipe binder. There’s minimal prep work involved, and the addition of fresh chopped basil adds both color and a lot of flavor. At some point I had written “Party Dish!” on the printout of this recipe, and I can see why — it makes a fair amount and could easily be doubled and brought to a potluck.

Greek Shrimp with Orzo
———————-
12 oz uncooked orzo
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion(s), chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pound shrimp, medium-size, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup basil, fresh, chopped
feta cheese, crumbled

Cook orzo in salted water according to package directions without added fat; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and garlic; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano; bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir cooked orzo into shrimp mixture; stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of orzo-shrimp mixture onto each of plate or bowl and top each with feta.

4 generous servings

Thad and Abbie came over for dinner tonight, which gave us yet another excuse to fire up the grill. The marinade for the lemongrass-skewered shrimp was based on what we had in the kitchen and what “sounded good” — you really can’t go wrong with lemon and garlic! Lisa prepared a delicious Orzo salad made with spinach, basil, lemon, and cherry tomatoes, and we grilled some pineapple after quartering it and brushing it with melted butter, honey, and brown sugar. Turned out to be quite the tasty combination!

Grilled Shrimp on Lemongrass skewers
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1 lb shrimp
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp capers
3 stalks lemongrass, cut in half, dry outer layers removed

Peel shrimp, leave tails on. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add shrimp, and marinate for 2 hours. Soak lemongrass in water for 15 minutes, and then use to skewer shrimp. Cook shrimp on medium-heat grill for 4-5 minutes or until opaque in center.

The orzo recipe: Orzo with Spinach and Tomatoes