Greek Orzo Salad

My mother and I had the recent pleasure of eating at a fun Greek restaurant when I visited Green Valley, Arizona. They served an orzo salad with their lunch platter, and it was excellent! We both finished our salad before we finished our main dish - it was that good. Here's my rendition. Of course, I've added a few more veggies and changed out the regular orzo to whole wheat to increase fiber. You expect a little stealthy maneuver here!

Ingredients:

3 cups water
1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
1/4 chop chopped red pepper
2 Tbs. chopped kalamata olives
2 Tbs. capers
1 Tbs. chopped chives
2 Tbs. crumbled feta cheese

1 Tbs. Greek dressing

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil. Add the whole wheat orzo and cook for 8 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain the orzo. Combine the drained orzo with the pepper, olives, capers, and chives. Toss to cook. Add the feta cheese when the mixture has cooled somewhat. Add the dressing and toss again. This can be served immediately or can be refrigerated and served later.

I had this when I was dining outside, and so the thought of having it for a picnic side salad is a natural. Whenever or wherever, enjoy!

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Making the switch from regular pasta to whole wheat pasta is an easy way to increase the fiber in your diet. It's becoming easier and easier to find whole wheat pasta products on regular grocery shelves. Even when I can't find them at my regular grocery story, I can find them at Trader Joe's.