Orzo Spinach Greek Salad

Howdy! Welcome to Tuesday; only 2 more days to go in this short little work week and then a long weekend - wooohooo!!!

Tomorrow my office is having a potluck lunch. Our potlucks are amazing! For the meat eaters, there is a turkey cooked all morning on a rotisserie and a slow cooked ham and then tons and tons of delectable sides. My task was to bring a spinach salad, but I was determined not to bring just any salad. I wanted something mouth-watering and delicious. Alot of co-workers and friends follow my blog, so lately I've been feeling the pressure to bring a really kick butt dish wherever we go! Lucky for me, I'm always up for a challenge and I think I hit a jackpot with this salad!!

At first my plan was to make a greek salad with spinach, but that just seemed too blah, so I decided that I would make a greek inspired salad with orzo paired with the most amazing, most delectable homemade greek dressing ever!!

Spinach and Orzo Greek Salad

Makes 1 large salad perfect for a crowd.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what my critics say tomorrow, but I have a feeling that my salad is going to be a huge hit. One thing I know for absolute sure is that the dressing I've made is the best one yet!! It's amazing and I'm going to be making it alot!

16 oz package uncooked orzo

3 - 4 c. packed baby spinach, thinly sliced

2/3 c. feta cheese 

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 c. sliced black olives (I think kalamata would be better, but I used what I had on hand)

1/2 c. sundried tomatoes, sliced

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo for 8 to 10 minutes ~ you want to cook until it is al dente. Drain and rinse the orzo under cold water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

If you were planning to serve the salad right away, you would add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. I'm not serving my salad until tomorrow, so I added a small amount of dressing to the orzo, so it wouldn't get sticky and dry overnight. I then topped the orzo with the spinach, feta, red onion, black olives and sundried tomatoes, but I didn't mix them in. I covered it like that and put it in the fridge to chill overnight. I will mix the ingredients together and add the dressing about 20 minutes before serving tomorrow.

....and now for the most amazing part: The Dressing
I found this recipe at allrecipes

1/2 c. olive oil
1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp onion powder (I didn't have, so I left out)
1 tsp dijon mustard
2/3 c. red wine vinegar

Add all ingredients in a blender or Magic Bullet. Pulse until well blended.

Store in an airtight container. I don't think you'll have to worry about this dressing going bad. It is so good, it won't last long enough :-)

Unfortunately, you don't get a final shot of my gorgeous creation quite yet. Patience my pretties, I will unveil the final product tomorrow.

Make sure you check back tomorrow for the final reveal and for my second "What I Ate Wednesday". I promise it's going to be mouth-watering. You're going to wish you worked with me ;-)

What do you love to take to an office potluck?

Have a great evening.

Andrea

Healthy Brown Rice Salad

On Friday night I made a stirfry with brown rice. For some reason, I always seem to make way too much rice and pasta. This time I had 3 cups of rice left, so I decided that I would use up the leftovers by making a rice salad. The only time I've ever had a rice salad is when my cousin, Linda, brings it to our family reunions. She & I are the only vegetarians in our family, so we always take care of each other with tasty meatless dishes.

Her rice salad is super delicious, but I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, so I did a Google search and found inspiration to create my own version.

Healthy Brown Rice Salad
Inspired from recipe by Caroline Mili Artiss

3 c. cooked long grain brown rice
4 green onions, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 c. raw pumpkin (pepita) seeds
1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/4 c. dried cranberries

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp honey
pinch black pepper

Combine the rice, veggies and dried cranberries in a large bowl.

Don't add your seeds until you are ready to serve the salad.

In a smaller bowl, prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients and whisking until well blended.
Pour the dressing over the rice mixture.

Refrigerate overnight.

Mix in your seeds when you are ready to serve and enjoy!

This salad is soooo delicious! I brought it for my lunch today and my stomach growled all morning in anticipation. I'm so happy that I have another bowl at home for tomorrow! I love the ginger in the dressing and the seeds give it the perfect amount of crunchiness.

DELICIOUS!!

What are you favourite make-ahead lunches?

I hope you're having a fabulous Monday,

Andrea