The world can always use more girl power, so I’m excited that my friend Jenna from Jenna’s Everything Blog will be helping out with that. She and her husband are expecting their first baby, Alice (I love it!)
Today, a bunch of us are celebrating with a virtual baby shower, hosted by Veronica of Veronica’s Cornucopia. Surprise, Jenna!
I’m sure a lot of you are stunned that I didn’t make something sweet. Perhaps a momentary lapse of sanity? Really, it was because I feared everyone would bring a dessert and then we’d all end up reeling the rest of the day from a sugar headache. Like when there’s a potluck at school and everyone brings cookies and cupcakes, but no fruits or veggies. (That’s your future, Jenna…be warned!)
So, I made an Orzo salad. One of my favorites, loaded with chickpeas. Because Jenna and I both love chickpeas. Also with feta, dill, and pine nuts – it’s SO good.
And don’t miss out on what her other friends made! Check out all the links after the recipe box.
Thanks to Veronica for organizing and hosting with such a great group of ladies. And congratulations to Jenna and Adam – it’s an exciting time!
Toasted Orzo and Chickpea Salad
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 cup orzo
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Directions
In a medium pot over medium-high heat; add the orzo and toast until golden brown and nutty-smelling, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Add chicken or veggie stock and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Drain the orzo and transfer to a big bowl along with the butter, stirring until butter melts completely. Add the chickpeas, pine nuts, dill, and Feta and gently toss together. Serve warm or at room temperature.
yay for a savory dish! i made a drink because i figured the same thing…everyone makes sweets, & you get thirsty! nice work, so fun to meet you on this happy occasion. :)
Ohhhhh, this sounds so delicious. I love the idea of toasted orzo; it sounds like a comfort food. This is another keeper from Jenna’s shower. I’m so glad to have been introduced to you and your blog. This looks like a great place to lurk…er…hang out. :)
Isn’t that always the best part about attending parties…sampling all the food? ;-) Yes, too many great blogs/recipes, not enough hours in the day. Thanks, Terri!
Yaaaay for chickpeas! And I’ll try to remember to be the mom in the future who brings the veggies into the equation, heh heh.
Amy, thanks for your sweet post and another delicious recipe for the world to chow down on. You’re the best. =)
Alice will be greeted with wonderful, smart, musical, artistic, funny, loving parents…who can cook. What more does a kid need? Much love to you and Adam!
I want in on this salad love! Given my adoration of chickpeas and feta…I’m seeing a future carb-loading session with this as the main attraction.
This has your name all over it. On top, underneath, to the side. ALL. OVER. IT.
And oh my! I don’t even know if I ever commented on it, but I made your cranberry chicken back before I had any idea who you were-I saved it forever ago and made it last year. So good and easy! I even posted it on my blog! So funny to now be meeting you through Jenna. :)
That is funny…the blogging world just got that much smaller! It seriously doesn’t get any easier with that chicken dish. I made it so much, that the family finally got tired of it. But it’s been quite a while, so I think it’s time for another appearance. Thanks for reminding me!
Yay for the savory! This salad sounds really nice and it’s good to have something with fiber to slow down all that sugar from going straight into the bloodstream! lol! I know I dropped the ball many times, and I thank you for your patience and helping make this such a wonderful shower for Jenna.
You were great, silly! It’s hard enough to coordinate people in the same city…but across the country? Forget about it. It’s been great fun!
The seasonings and pine nuts in your salad sound fantastic — I’m sure Jenna will love this — I certainly do! Here’s to “girl power” (and orzo!) — thanks, Amy. :)
Heck ya, girl power *fist bump* – thanks for poppin’ over, Kimby!
Hmm, I WAS starting to get the starting signs of a sugar coma from all these tasty treats at the Baby shower! :) This salad sounds fantastic!!!!
~T
See, that’s what I was afraid of – everyone would make a dessert. But I stand corrected. There were quite a few savory dishes. And I loved all the crafts. And your HILARIOUS post, FTW. Being a part of the shower with you has been a lot of fun!
I love orzo! Every time I make a varied salad with it, people don’t know what it is, so I’m glad to see a new recipe using it. It’s been fun attending this shower with you. ;)
I love orzo, too. It’s sort of my latest addiction. I’ve been scouring the interwebs for new ways to use it. THIS salad was definitely a winner. Thanks for stopping over Sydney!