Herbed Orzo and Chicken Salad

This was a really nice salad, great for a weeknight dinner. It serves 6, easily, which means that there is plenty for last minute company or to pack for lunches the next day.

Salad:

about 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

canola oil

salt and pepper

1 cup orzo

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts sliced thinly

¼ cup chopped curly parsley

leaves from about 5 thyme sprigs

6oz crumbled feta cheese

Vinaigrette:

juice from 2 small lemons

roasted garlic oil, to taste

kosher salt

fresh cracked pepper

(adjust as necessary to have about ¼ cup of vinaigrette)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub chicken breast lightly with canola oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Bake in a casserole dish for 30min or until cooked through. Set aside.

Boil water and then cook the orzo until tender. While orzo is cooking, mix green onions and tomatoes in a large bowl with chickpeas. Add herbs and feta. Dice baked chicken and add to bowl.

Drain pasta. While pasta is cooling slightly, mix together vinaigrette ingredients and season to taste. Add orzo to bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over top and toss salad.

Serve warm or chilled. Salad is nice over a bed of arugula or baby lettuces.

[Recipe adapted from Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill, and Lemon, Cooking Light, August 2002: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/orzo-salad-with-chickpeas-dill-lemon-10000000338370/]

Food & Wine's Roasted Carrot and Red Quinoa Salad

This was a fabulous quinoa salad recipe from Food & Wine that I tried after reading their October 2012 issue. As usual, I adapted it to what I had in the pantry and preferred at the grocery store. I served it with lemon pepper-marinated salmon.

Ingredients:

2 tsp Hungarian paprika (sweet paprika)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp ground cardamom

salt

freshly ground pepper

4 large carrots, cut in half and then thinly sliced lengthwise

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

7 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 large handfuls mixed baby salad greens

1 tsp whole-grain mustard

½ cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsp chopped curly parsley

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a nonstick rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes until lightly toasted. Pour in a bowl and set aside to cool.

Throughly mix the paprika, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and cardamom. Season with salt and pepper. Cut up the carrot and onion. Toss with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Add in 1 Tbsp of the spice mixture and stir to coat. Spread the carrot and onion mix onto the baking sheet. Roast 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 tsp of spice mix and the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. This should take around 20-25 minutes. Once water is absorbed, uncover, fluff and let cool slightly.

Mix together 2 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in the salad greens and mix until coated. Place the salad greens on a serving platter. In the same bowl, add the remaining 3 Tbsp of oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus the mustard and 1 tsp of the spices. Season again with salt, and pepper if desired. Add the quinoa, walnuts, cranberries, curly parsley, and the roasted vegetables. Spoon over the salad greens and serve.

[Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, October 2012 issue - http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-carrot-and-red-quinoa-salad]