Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Makes 6 to 8 servings (it made WAY more than that)

Ingredients:

3 cups orzo or bow tie pasta
2 tsp (10 mL) olive oil
½ cup (125 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano leaves
3 tbsp (45 mL) lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon peel
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) pepper
2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch (1 cm) thick strips
2 yellow peppers, quartered (I used red)
3 large ears of corn, husked and wrapped in tinfoil
1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 ½ cups (375 mL) feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup (125 mL) toasted pine nuts
½ cup (125 mL) basil leaves, torn

Directions
1. In a large pot, bring about 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta and cook according to package directions, about 6-8 minutes, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and rinse under cold water. Let orzo sit in colander to drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with about 2 tsp (5 ml) olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

3. Preheat a barbeque or grill to medium-high heat. Brush zucchini strips and yellow pepper with a little olive oil. Place these, along with corn, on barbeque and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and vegetables are tender. Remove and set aside on a baking tray to cool. Once cool, cut the kernels off of the corn husks (there should be about 2 cups) and chop the zucchini and yellow peppers into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.

4. To the orzo pasta, add the zucchini, yellow pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes, feta and pine nuts. Drizzle over lemon vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Garnish with torn basil leaves.

5. In a hurry? Chop zucchini and yellow pepper into ½-inch dice. Place in large bowl along with cherry tomatoes and 1 cup corn (canned). Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature and then toss with orzo salad as above.

Recipe from Today's Parent.

Sweet Cereal Mix

Inspired by: http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2010/06/perfect-snacksweet-cereal-mix.html

(cereal measurements are approximate)

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup syrup (I used 1/2 light corn syrup & 1/2 maple syrup as it was what I had in the cupboard)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 box Crispix
1/3 box Corn Bran Squares
2 cups mini pretzels
1/2 box cheerios

Preheat 250 degrees. Grease a deep roasting pan. Mix all the cereal and pretzels. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and then add in the syrup and brown sugar. Pour the mixture over the cereal and mix to coat well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Spread cereal onto GREASED waxed paper to separate and cool.