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.

Souvlaki Salad

I originally found this recipe in a magazine, Canadian House & Home, I think. But I can't find it on-line to link it!

Ingredients

2 lb chicken (or lamb), cut into bite-sized pieces

Marinade (if I don’t have a lot of time I just use the Kraft Feta & Oregano Salad Dressing)
½ cup chopped sweet onion
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 bay leaves, crushed
1 Tbsp dried oregano (or ¼ cup fresh)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary (1 Tbsp fresh)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Olive oil for drizzling
6 pita breads
5 or 6 tomatoes (cute into bite-sized pieces)
1 cucumber (sliced & halved)
feta cheese, crumbled

Tzatziki Dressing (you can make this from scratch … or just buy it like I do!)

Directions
1. Marinade lamb / chicken. Recipe calls for overnight … I rarely have time to do it overnight!

2. Grill lamb / chicken

3. Brush pita breads with olive oil. Lightly grill, and then chop up roughly (I use kitchen shears).

4. Drizzle olive oil on plate, place chopped up pita on plate.

5. Top with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, grilled lamb/chicken, feta and tzatziki.

Serve immediately!

For a kid friendly version I make a little rice and serve the chicken, whatever vegetable he is willing to eat and the feta!