mediterranean orzo salad

this is a variation on this pasta salad.

yes, i'm now tweaking my own recipes and posting them as "new" recipes.

i'm not a cheater i swear!

i just inspire myself.

i joke, i joke, i am not this vain.

in all seriousness, ms. jessica made an orzo salad last week that made me want to try orzo.

i had never tasted orzo or made a recipe using it, and i was intrigued.

yes, it's just pasta shaped like rice, so bonus that you can confuse your audience, but i suspected there was more to it than pure deception.

and my suspicions were confirmed.

orzo is teeny tiny cute as a button pasta that absorbs its fellow ingredients in a way that bow ties and penne are not capable of in their wildest dreams.
also, orzo appears to have powers similar to the loaves and fishes.
this box of orzo is supposed to make 8 servings but in reality made about 25 side dish portions to accompany some grilled chorizo and creamy guacamole at sunday's bbq.
i believe.

maybe its friends helped bulk up the orzo?
similar ingredients to my typical pasta salad, but slight variations
plus a bag of spinach.
see, now it's healthy?

pasta salads need plenty of lemon and basil.

they have created a marriage that will endure anything.

i love these jarred kalamata olives in extra virgin olive oil.
again, i may have sampled quite a few one during the cooking process. 
they add so much more flavor than the canned, sliced black olives

i originally planned to go with cherry tomatoes for the pasta salad but the $4.99 a pint price tag shocked me right over to the canned goods aisle.
promptly i found canned flavored tomatoes for a quarter of the price.
the flavor impact and texture of the canned tomatoes were perfect for orzo salad.
sayanora cherry tomatoes.

all mixed up together, a mediterrean feast.
and yeah, it's even better the next day.

Recipe: Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

1 box orzo

1 bag spinach

1 can diced tomatoes (garlic, oregano and parsley), drained

1 container mediterranean feta (6 oz container)

35 kalamata olives

2 tbsp olive juice

2 tbsp oil from feta

1 lemon, juice and zest

20 basil leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Method:

cook orzo according to directions

add spinach to collander, pour hot orzo over spinach to wilt

rinse orzo and spinach with cold water and mix, letting orzo and spinach cool completely

once orzo and spinach are completely cooled, add olives, tomatoes and feta

shred basil leaves and mix into pasta salad

mix olive juice, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, feta oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl

add vinaigrette to pasta salad and mix to combine

adjust seasoning as necessary, i needed a bit more salt and pepper

eat immediately but best after it marinates in the fridge for a couple of hours