Orzo with Corn and Peppers

Matt loves orzo.  It's like rice, but it's pasta!  It's also really easy to whip up an impressive side dish with orzo.  It cooks very quickly and mixes well with most veggies, herbs and even cheeses.  You can serve it hot or cold.  It's very versatile.  

This would work as a salad, chilled or at room temperature, but I served it warm as a side dish.  Here's what you need:

Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs

This soup far, far exceeded expectations.  I didn't even expect to like it much but I absolutely loved it!  Plus, it's pretty darn healthy.  Excuse the lighting on the pictures though.  

This recipe is from Clean Eating Magazine.  

First you need to make some turkey meatballs.  
You'll need 3/4 pound of ground turkey, breadcrumbs, an egg and Italian seasoning or oregano and basil. 

Mix those ingredients together.

The nice thing about ground turkey and chicken is that you don't have to be super careful mixing it like you do with ground beef.  You can really pack it together without it becoming tough.

Roll the turkey mixture into about 30-40 small meatballs.

I placed them on a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet.

Heat some oil in a large pan.

Place half the meatballs in the pan to brown.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Then flip over.

Keep flipping until  browned on all sides.

Now for the soup, here's what you need:

For two people you can use half the meatballs and freeze the rest for next time.  You'll also need onions, carrots, celery, parsnip, chicken stock, orzo and spinach.  You'll also want some more Italian seasoning, chili flakes, and some parmesan cheese.  

Peel and dice the onions, carrots and parsnip and dice the celery.

Sauté in a little oil until slightly softened.  Then add some Italian seasoning and red chili flakes.

Add four cups chicken stock.  I used homemade stock for this but you can use store-bought.  Bring it to a boil.

Stir in meatballs and 1 cup of orzo pasta.  Simmer for about 15 minutes until pasta is cooked.

Add 2 cups fresh baby spinach and stir in until wilted. 

I served the soup in a shallow bowl.

Topped with curls of fresh parmesan cheese.  This is a delicious, warming soup.  It actually really thickens up almost like a stew.  It's a great, healthy meal on a cold night.  

  

Carrot Orzo

This is one of those recipes I just picked at random to use up what I had in the crisper, but it turned out so amazingly delicious it'll be a staple in our house from now on!

We have some small carrots ready in the garden and I also had these coloured carrots from the market to use. This recipe from Epicurious called for packaged baby carrots but I used these colourful fresh carrots.  You also need orzo, vegetable or chicken broth, garlic, chives and rosemary.  Also parmesan cheese, not shown.  Plus I added some snowpeas from the garden.

Chop the carrots in a food processor into small chunks using the pulse button.

Meanwhile, toast the orzo in some butter and oil.  

Then add the chopped carrots and saute for a few moments.

Then add broth and water for 2 3/4 cups liquid total, plus a minced garlic clove.

Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.



Add snowpeas and continue to cook for a minute or two.



Meanwhile, chop the chives and rosemary.



Remove orzo from heat and add herbs along with some grated parmesan.



We served this with some barbecued chicken drumsticks and it was a delicious combination.



We loved this side dish and will make it often now that we've tried it. The great thing about this dish is it will be equally tasty in the winter as it is with fresh summer veggies. Try this! You'll love it!