SPINACH AND WHOLE WHEAT ORZO SALAD

With summer here, I have been trending towards preparing a lot of healthy dishes. The following is a great adaption to a healthy and delightful summer salad adapted from Self Magazine, which is all about exercise and wellness. For those not familiar with orzo, it is an Italian pasta shaped like large grains of rice, and is particularly perfect for soups and salads. The salad recipe below is low on calories and it is easy to make. This would be perfect served with grilled salmon.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2):

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and zest of ½ lemon
• 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound of whole-wheat orzo
• ½ cup of pitted and roughly chopped Kalamata olives
• 1-½ oz. of chopped feta cheese
• 1/8 cup of thinly sliced red onion
• Approx. 10 mint leaves, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring 1 quart water to boil in a pot, add a generous amount of salt, then add orzo and cook at a low boil for exactly 8 minutes. (Or check your package for cooking time if not using whole wheat orzo.) Drain the orzo and let cool while you prep the other ingredients.
2. Heat the olive oil on a small pan over medium-low heat.
3. Sauté garlic until lightly golden, 1-2 min. Be careful to not burn the garlic.
4. Transfer the garlic and oil into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon peel zest, salt and pepper, and whisk to combine.
5. Add spinach and toss lightly in the dressing to coat.
6. Add the remaining ingredients: orzo, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, red onion and mint.
7. Toss it all together and serve.

Danish version

SPINAT SALAT MED FULDKORNS ORZO

INGREDIENSER:

• 2 spsk. Oliven olie
• 2 fed hviløg, fint snittet
• 1 spsk. Citron saft og cirtronskal fra en 1/2 citron
• 2 store håndfulde baby spinat
• Salt og friskkværnet sort peber
• 1 ¾ dl fuldkorns orzo
• 1 ¼ dl kalamata oliven uden sten
• 50 g feta ost skåret i små tern
• ½ dl rødløg, fint snittet
• ca. 10 mynte blade, groft hakket

FREMGANGSMÅDE:

1. Kog 2 liter vand i en gryde, tilføj rigeligt af salt, hæld orzoen ved og lad det koge i 8 minutter. (Eller tjek din pakke for instruktioner, hvis ikke du bruger fuldkorns orzo.) Dræn orzoen og lad det afkøle, mens du forbereder de andre ingredienser.
2. Opvarm olivenolie i en lille pande over medium-lav varme. Svits hvidløgene indtil de er lettere gyldne ca.1-2 min. pas endelig på at det ikke brænder på.
3. Hæld hvidløgene og olien i en stor skål.
4. Tilsæt citronsaft, citronskal, salt og peber, og pisk dressingen godt sammen.
5. Vend forsigtigt spinaten i dressingen.
6. Tilsæt de øvrige ingredienser: orzo, Kalamata oliven, fetaost, rødløg og mynte.
7. Vend forsigtig salaten sammen og server. Denne salat vil være perfekt serveret sammen med et stykke grillet laks.