{"id":4359,"date":"2011-04-20T09:32:07","date_gmt":"2011-04-20T17:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodiddy.com\/?p=4359"},"modified":"2011-04-20T10:35:41","modified_gmt":"2011-04-20T18:35:41","slug":"orzo-salad-wspicy-buttermilk-dressing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/foodiddy.com\/?p=4359","title":{"rendered":"Orzo Salad w\/Spicy Buttermilk Dressing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I usually don’t attempt to make things with the word “spicy” in the recipe title, but I’m finding that I actually like spicy things when they are\u00a0mostly veggie. It’s the spicy\/meat combo that I’m not a fan of.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I received my May 2011 Cooking Light Magazine<\/em> and flipped through it to mark vegetarian dishes since I’m leaning in the direction with lunches. I came across the Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing<\/strong> recipe in the Enlightened Cook – Everyday Vegetarian section and was intrigued. I knew the possibilities could be endless with add-ins, substitutions, etc.<\/p>\n

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The Ingredients:<\/strong>
\n1 Cup Cooked Orzo
\n1 Cup Frozen Whole-Kernel Corn
\n12 Cherry Tomatoes – quartered – I only had grape tomatoes, so I used more and just halved them
\n3 Green Onions – sliced
\n1 Can Black Beans (15 oz.) – rinse and drained
\n1\/4 Cup Low Fat Buttermilk
\n3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro – divided
\n3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
\n2 Tablespoons Light Sour Cream
\n2 Tablespoons Canola Mayonnaise – I just used Best Foods Light – it’s what I had.
\n1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
\n1\/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
\n1\/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
\n1\/4 Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper
\n2 Garlic Cloves – crushed
\n1 Peeled Avocado – cut into 8 wedges
\n1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Parsley<\/p>\n

Yield: 4 Servings – Serving Size 1 and 3\/4 cups
\n424 Calories | Fat 15.3 g | Protein 12.7 g | Carb 63.8 g | Fiber 10.1 g | Chol 6 mg |\u00a0Sodium 607 mg<\/p>\n

Directions:
\n<\/strong>Cook orzo according to package directions – don’t add salt or oil to the water. Drain and rinse (I didn’t rinse). Place orzo, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and black beans into a large bowl and toss.<\/p>\n

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Combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro (I accidentally added all 3 tablespoons – nobody died), fresh lime juice (more on that later) light sour cream, mayo, chili powder, salt, pepper,\u00a0ground red pepper, and garlic.<\/p>\n

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Stir well with a whisk. – Now\u00a0I need to\u00a0talk about\u00a0limes…<\/p>\n

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I loaded my limes into my citrus press and I honestly thought 2-3 limes would have been enough for 3 tablespoons of juice.<\/p>\n

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I obliterated them and it took 8 halves – 4 LIMES to make 3 tablespoons. That. Is. Crazy. I guess I happened to get the “Dry as a Desert” brand limes. Thankfully I had enough…<\/p>\n

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The recipe said to “drizzle” the sauce over the orzo mixture and toss. Drizzle\/Dump – is there really that big of a difference? Nope. I sliced up my avocado and garnished with additional cilantro and flat leaf parsley.<\/p>\n

I then set up shop for a crazy photo shoot. I got a few new placemats on mega sale at Kohl’s and I chatted with another designer\/casual photographer\u00a0and he thought some of my food photos could use more warmth – so I spent the next 30 minutes shooting 75 photos of my salad. Ha! I don’t normally include a million shots of each item, but I wanted to share some of the ones that came out pretty good (to me) and a few that didn’t.<\/p>\n

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I love shooting food on natural woods – this is an old crate I got at a friend’s garage sale – it often comes out for my final food shots.<\/p>\n

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Holy pattern Batman – not a huge fan of this shot… but I loved the placemat, it has a gorgeous flower on the opposite side.<\/p>\n

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These\u00a0foam\/round placemats came in a bunch of\u00a0vibrant colors – thinking I might pick up a\u00a0few more with my Kohl’s cash.<\/p>\n

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Too much gold…<\/p>\n

Enough about the photography – back to the recipe itself. It was awesome! I loved the heat – if you aren’t into spicy dishes, you could easily just leave out the ground red pepper and chili powder.<\/p>\n

I have eaten the orzo for lunches all week. Sometimes I drizzle a little lemon olive oil on top, or I added shrimp for a heartier dinner option as well.<\/p>\n

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The salad would be perfect for a potluck or summer BBQ. It’s been 4 days and it just keeps getting better and better. I’m definitely stuck on pasta and grain salads right now… guess I need to branch out a little more.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I usually don’t attempt to make things with the word “spicy” in the recipe title, but I’m finding that I actually like spicy things when they are\u00a0mostly veggie. It’s the spicy\/meat combo that I’m not a fan of.\u00a0 I received my May 2011 Cooking Light Magazine and flipped through it to mark vegetarian dishes since … <\/p>\n

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