Orzo Salad with Pine Nuts and Sundried Tomatoes

It was delightfully hot today in Minnesota - reaching 90 degrees! These are the days I miss living in the country and being able to easily transition between indoors and outdoors. Living in an apartment complex just seems to make getting outdoors harder. There's just nothing like being able to lounge in the comfort of your own yard... Anyway, the hubby and I did get a lot of sunlight today watering and weeding our community garden plots. This originally was supposed to be his little hobby for the summer,but now I find myself assuming greater responsibilities. It is kind of fun to see the little plants grow and excel with sunshine and water. Plus, I'm excited to find ways to use the crops in the kitchen come harvest time.

With all the heat of the day, I really started craving my husband's orzo salad. It's a pasta dish filled with veggies, and unlike traditional macaroni salad which has a mayonnaise dressing, this dish uses olive oil, which is much lighter. That lightness is so nice when it's extremely hot. So, I decided to whip up a batch for us to enjoy when we returned from gardening. It totally hit the spot.

Orzo Salad

From my hubby

1 1/2 cup orzo pasta

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup high quality balsamic vinegar

1 cucumber, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

2-3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

5 basil leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

Other options: artichoke hearts, olives, fresh mozzarella, dill

Salt and Pepper to taste

1.) Cook orzo pasta in boiling, salted water until it is cooked through. Strain and rinse with cold water.

2.) While the pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts by placing them in a dry pan and turning the heat to medium. Allow them to cook on the stove, stirring occasionally, until they become fragrant or start to slightly darken/become golden (usually about 5 minutes). Remove the pine nuts from the heat.

3.) Place pasta, pine-nuts, and veggies in a salad bowl. Toss with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

4.) Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve.