Left-Over Wednesdays: Orzo and Rice Salad

Scott, Rachel and I recently ate at J. Alexander's and I had their chicken salad sandwich. Their chicken salad is great, served on focaccia bread with provolone cheese. Yum! But my favorite was the orzo and wild rice salad that came with it! So, I set out to find a copy-cat recipe!
I based my creation on CDKitchen's copycat recipe for Orzo and Rice salad, making a few tweaks here and there.

Orzo and Rice Salad

Salad:

2 cups orzo pasta, cooked and drained well

1 cup wild rice (I used a wild rice and long-grain rice mixture)

1/4 cup red onions, diced very small

1/4 cup corn nibblets (the canned variety)

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced very small

1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced very small

1/4 cup green onions, sliced small

1/4 cup Craisins (original recipe called for currants, but I like Craisins better)

1-3 tablespoons pine nuts (my addition)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dressing:

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

All the lovely, fresh ingedients assembled!

1. Cook orzo and rice according to directions. I like to leave both slightly al dente.

2. Chop all vegetables, being sure to try to make everything the same size. With this type of salad, it's important to make everything about the same size, taking your cue from the orzo and rice. Toss vegetables, orzo and rice together in a large bowl, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Notice how small everything is, and mostly uniform in size.

3. Make dressing: combine all ingredients, except for oils. Whisk well to dissolve sugar and incorporate mustard. Slowly whisk in the oils until fully emulsified. (I used both oils like the recipe called for the first time I made this, but the second time I only used olive oil. Either way, the dressing tasted fine.)

4. Toss the orzo and rice mixture with the dressing until fully coated. Refrigerate salad until ready to serve. Also good the next day after the flavors meld together.

Yum! We grilled chicken breasts to serve with the salad!

Wordless Wednesday: Road Trip Pics!

The DC Metro=very cool in the stations, and very clean!

Me and Stucky in NYC

Me and Scottie at Grimaldi's

DC Metro map

Me and Rach in Bullet

Our sweet friend from last summer and last year's road trip, Lauren! She and a friend came down from CT for the day to NYC!

Me at Julia Child's kitchen in the Smithsonian. Highlight for me!!

Best Brooklyn pizza=Grimaldi's, under the bridge

Washington Monument at sunset

Famous quote at the Kennedy grave

Left-Over Wednesdays: Chicken Pitas with Hummus and Spinach

So it's been a while since I've done a recipe! I was wandering around the store Monday in search of something cool, light and healthy for dinner, and this is what I came up with!! Hope you try it, and add some other fun ingredients to make it your own! Be sure to come back and let me know what you think and what you added to this! Bon Appetit!

Chicken Pitas with Hummus and Spinach

I did this two ways: baked open-faced like pizza and cold like a pita sandwich! Both ways were great!

Medium pitas

Chicken strips, baked with Cavendar's Greek seasoning

Hummus, store bought or homemade (I used a good store bought brand that had garlic and pine nuts)

Fresh baby spinach, lightly steamed, but not wilty

Goat cheese

1. Bake the seasoned chicken strips in a 375 degree oven until cooked through. Dice chicken strips once cooked.

2. If you choose to bake them, place pitas on baking sheet; or place on a serving tray if leaving cold. Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of hummus on each pita.

3. Place spinach in pot with about 1/2 cup water and place over medium-low heat. Toss spinach constantly until lightly steamed, or just beginning to wilt. Drain well.

4. Layer spinach, chicken and cheese on pitas.

5. If baking, place in 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

After the fact, I wished for some roasted red peppers or maybe sun-dried tomatoes to add a little color and flavor, but everyone agreed this was a yummy experiment!

Nutrition Info: I figured that one pita had 280-300 calories!

We Are Back...

A post and pictures are coming this week! Stay tuned to my Le Blog and to Compass College Group's blog for all the fun from the Road Trip!