By now, you have to know that I am a Trader Joe’s foodie.  I especially love checking out their little “kitchen” in the back of the store where they create some easy recipes, and have the products right there for you to grab and go. Great marketing strategy, by the way, because I am a total sucker for that!

The other day, they were cooking up a Greek Pasta Salad using a bow tie pasta.  It seemed easy enough, but I wanted to add some more nutrition to my meal, so I thought back to my Organic Whole Wheat Orzo I keep in my pantry, and how I could easily use that as a substitute.  I’ve made my Italian Orzo Salad for my girlfriends, and they love it.  Here’s what goes in that recipe:

Italian Orzo Salad

Whole Wheat Orzo
Chopped fresh tomatoes
Basil
Crushed Garlic
Fresh Mozzarella or Buffalo Cheese (I prefer the little balls in the tubs of water)
Salt, Pepper and EVOO for taste.
You can also add in some Flax Seed Oil.

Cook the Orzo as directed, drain.  Immediately add the cheese so it softens a little, then add the crushed garlic, pour in some EVOO and mix it all up, adding some salt and pepper.  Throw in the tomatoes and basil at the end. Mix it up.  Add more EVOO, salt, pepper if desired.  So easy and so good!  Then you can keep leftovers in the fridge for a quick lunch the next day!

My Greek Orzo Salad went like this:

Whole Wheat Orzo
Sun-dried tomatoes
Feta cheese
Kalamata olives
Olive Oil
Flax Seed Oil
Sea Salt/Pepper

Follow the same directions as above.  Enjoy!

Do you have any great summer salad recipes?  Share them here or on my FaceBook page!