Saturday, August 15, 2015

Orzo Salad #Recipe @PegCochran

This isn't really a strict recipe.  It was one of those "pantry/refrigerator" meal things.  I had shrimp to throw on the BBQ for dinner but I didn't have a starch or a vegetable.  And I really, really didn't want to go to the grocery store!  I'm sure you know that feeling!  So I poked around in the pantry and found a box of orzo that had some left in it.  I don't even remember the last time I made orzo but pasta doesn't really go bad so...I poked around in the pantry some more and the vegetable crisper and the freezer and came up with chick peas aka garbanzo beans, red onion, grape tomatoes and frozen corn.  I thought basil would be great with that combination but I didn't have any.  But I did have one of those "herbs in a tube" thingies of basil so I figured a squirt of that in the dressing would do the trick.

You don't need these exact ingredients--you can use what you have!  It was delicious and we really enjoyed it with our shrimp.


Cook orzo according to package directions.  How much you use depends on 
how many you want to feed.  Add a can of chick peas if you have them.


Throw in some halved or quartered grape tomatoes or a chopped tomato plus some red onion.  Such pretty colors, don't you think?





Run some hot water over your frozen corn until thawed--no need to cook it.  Add it to the mix.



               Add some fresh chopped basil to your salad or a squeeze of 
basil-in-a-tube 
to your vinaigrette recipe or your favorite bottled dressing.






Toss salad with dressing and serve!


And now for the best part!  I'm giving away a copy of BERRIED SECRETS to someone who leaves a comment below.  Tell me what's your favorite summer salad or meal!  Maybe you'll give me some good ideas.




Available now from Amazon and Barnes and Noble and other book retailers.


When Monica Albertson comes to Cranberry Cove—a charming town on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan—to help her half-brother Jeff on his cranberry farm, the last thing she expects to harvest is a dead body.

It seems that Sam Culbert, who ran the farm while Jeff was deployed overseas, had some juicy secrets that soon prove fatal, and Jeff is ripe for the picking as a prime suspect. Forming an uneasy alliance with her high-maintenance stepmother, Monica has her hands full trying to save the farm while searching for a killer. Culbert made plenty of enemies in the quaint small town…but which one was desperate enough to kill?






65 comments:

  1. Right now my favorite meal is gluten free pizza made on the stove (in a skillet). It is so good! Thank you for the Orzo salad recipe (I haven't had orzo), and the chance to win.
    myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. that's some very clever pantry sleuthing Peg! It looks so pretty...

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  3. What a pretty dish! I always laugh when I use orzo (and I do) because it looks like it's trying to be rice, so it's a surprise when you eat it.

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  4. My favorite summer food is fresh corn on the cob.

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  5. My favorite summer salad is just a big tosses salad with whatever I have in the crisper and some kind of meat, chicken, shrimp, or hard boiled eggs -whatever I have in the fridge. Perfect no cook meal for a hot day.

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  6. Summer is all about the farmer's market. Love this time of year and very interested in Peg's New book. Keep them coming

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  7. I just discovered gazpacho salad which is amazing! Loving the basil paste! Thanks for the giveaway! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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  8. I just love anything fresh from the garden. Mixed up together with a minimum of dressing . That fresh picked flavor can't be beat.

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  9. Kitchen magic and it's pretty to look at, too!
    I like almost anything with fresh corn in it. And, yes, in a pinch, frozen does a very respectable job.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  10. I didn't know there was basil paste! Thank you for the giveaway.
    debprice60@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. They make several kinds of herb paste. I also get cilantro paste. It's great mixed in with ranch dressing and served offer a grilled chicken salad with avocado and corn.

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  11. Cool. I have made some great meals from mixing things up with the fact that money was low and couldn't go to the store. Funny now some of the stuff I have made are showing up in recipes. Take hamb cook with onions, add cream of chicken, mixed vegetables with cheddar cheese and put tater tots on top. Bake at 400 until tots are brown. Yummy

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  12. In the summer I love fresh tomatoes and watermelon. Just about any dish with either of these in it would have to be good. I've fixed the tomato, cucumber and onion salad quite a few times this summer.
    jawdance@yahoo.com

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  13. In the summer I like to eat a green salad with some chicken or Turkey chunks and lots of different fresh veggies. Sometimes I throw so much in there my small salad ends up being a huge salad. Thank you for the chance to win your book! crossxjo@hotmail.com

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  14. I love tossed salad any time. But in the summer I really enjoy Chicken Salad. I cut a cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. I fill the center with the salad and cut it into quarters and serve it with open faced tomato sandwiches. Yum, yum! Thanks for chance to win your book.
    davisel1830@hotmail.com

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  15. My favorite summer meal is BLT sandwiches---with local thick meaty bacon, lettuce and heritage tomatoes from the garden on homemade bread from the farmer's market. YUM. Thanks for the contest.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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  16. My fav summer sandwich is the BLT also as the tomatoes are ripe in the garden and that is the way to have the sandwich. ptclayton2@aol.com

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  17. My favorite is cucumber salad with onions sour cream and seasonings thank for this opportunity!

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  18. Thanks for this salad recipe. It sounds delicious. I love all kinds of salads in the summertime. A really good potato salad with lots of mayo and eggs is a real indulgence, but so, so good every now and then. Thanks for the giveaway! rencw@verizon.net

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  19. I love hamburgers and corn on the cob with watermelon for dessert! Thanks for the opportunity!
    sharonbabyme@yahoo.com

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  20. I have recently discovered a broccoli salad that is divine!! Broccoli, red onion, mayo, sunflower seeds, bacon jam (which is the best invention EVER) and cheese! OMG is it wonderful!!

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    1. Oh and email for entry in contest... hdkris11@yahoo.com

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    2. Bacon jam? Seriously? I've never heard of it but I never get tired of bacon!

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    3. I live in Texas and we have a grocery store that is a Texas only store (so far) called HEB. And they make a lot of their own products. Including bacon jam!! Great on burgers too! Sooooo good.

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  21. My favorite summer salad is fresh fruit salad with vanilla yogurt mixed in.

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  22. Yum! Our local deli puts out a great orzo salad, too. I am very interested in Berried Secrets...oh, dried cranberries in the salad? Yeah! kat8762@aol.com

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  23. Thank goodness for pantry items, huh, Peg? We all run into that problem now and then. I love your solution!

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  24. This looks like an easy and tasty salad. Yes, cranberries in every salad!

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  25. I like to make a salad with locally grown tomatoes and cucumbers and I like to add slices of mozzarella cheese. I top it with Italian dressing. The orzo salad sounds really good! I love chick peas!

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  26. My favorite summertime dish is a cold pasta salad with tuna. Use shells (medium size), mix in mayo, paprika, onions (if you like), peppers (again - if you like them) and add 3 cans of tuna, strained - mix it all up in a casserole dish & chill in fridge overnight. Add more mayo the next day (the pasta absorbs much of it, as does the tuna) and add more paprika to taste and voila - instant hit at any summer bbq or potluck! It's great because it can be made with chicken or crab or anything else. Very versatile dish!

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  27. The salad sounds good, the book sounds good too. My favorite is the chinese noodle salad.

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  28. Zucchini pancakes (my version of potato pancakes with a light, moist texture op and 0out-of-this-world taste!

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  29. You can never go wrong with good old potato salad! P.S. I've never met a berry I didn't like!! robin.christofaro@yahoo.com

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  30. I love fresh fruit and berry salads with yogurt. Oh yummy.

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  31. Cucumber and tomato salad. Refreshing and delicious. Thank you for this awesome giveaway! areewekidding@yahoo.com

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  32. Fresh tomatoes, green onions, and either asiago cheese or mozzarella with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil! You can add cucumbers too.

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  33. That's my kind of cooking! I took some chicken thighs, threw me in the crockpot,, puréed a can of coconut milk or maybe it was coconut cream...don't know, it was a can in the cupboard....threw in some rosemary and other herbs and then topped with some fresh green beans! It was incredibly delicious but will never be able to duplicate it again!

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    Replies
    1. I swear auto correct is the death of me! Threw the chicken I the crockpot (not me) and I poured in a can , not puréed a can!

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    2. Don't you hate that? Only afterwards you wish you'd written it all down!

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  34. I love fresh fruit and berry salads with yogurt. Oh yummy.

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  35. I always look forward to fresh fruit to come into season. Love to add things like strawberries, blueberries, apples and peaches into a mix of romaine lettuce and grilled chicken breast.

    Bettyjo.english@gmail.com

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  36. I always look forward to fresh fruit to come into season. Love to add things like strawberries, blueberries, apples and peaches into a mix of romaine lettuce and grilled chicken breast.

    Bettyjo.english@gmail.com

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  37. I always look forward to fresh fruit to come into season. Love to add things like strawberries, blueberries, apples and peaches into a mix of romaine lettuce and grilled chicken breast.

    Bettyjo.english@gmail.com

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  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. I love a green salad with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and mandarin oranges on it sprinkled with candied pecans topped with a sweet mandarin dressing. Sometimes, I will add some grilled chicken. Yum!
    sherylhbooth@gmail.com

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  40. Love a green salad with tomatoes and feta and strawberries.

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  41. I am getting so many great ideas for dinners and lunches! Going to try a bunch of them for something different!

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  42. My favorite summer meal changes but a classic caesar salad is always a hit with me.

    jenne.turner@unt.edu

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  43. Favorite salad for summer....there are many but I think my favorite is simply sliced cucumbers and tomatoes in a light vinegrette. I'd add onions but my husband doesn't like them. But your orzo salad is a great idea for the book club pot luck on Thursday night. dbahn@iw.net

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  44. Della. Love the smell of basil. So aromatic. One of the advantages of having a garden on the window sill. Oh!! And the Cuban Oregano!!! Would love to read about the adventures at the cranberry farm
    deepotter@peoplepc.com

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  45. I enjoy this type of pasta salad. Orzo with basil and grape tomatoes is a favorite in our house. Love it for summer. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  46. I love having a homemade potato salad during the summer especially like my dad used to make us. If we are having his famous double patty filled with bacon, cheese, and barbecue sauce with it; its even better. Can't wait to read Berried Secrets. crdatema at yahoo.com

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  47. A delectable offering today. During the summer I love sliced tomatoes, basil, cukes and tuna. Cool and comforting. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  48. Its warm potato salad for me also, made with new potato's, bacon, chives, parsley, and thyme ....yum. Looking forward to reading your new book, lots of luck to you.

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  49. My favorite dish in summer is pasta salad. I love all the fresh vegetables mixed with pasta and cheese, ham cubes, salami, all with a nice dressing to enhance the flavor. robeader53@yahoo.com

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  50. Love this and love making recipes with what you have on hand.

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  51. My favorite summer dinner is a tri-color pasta salad with any mix of chopped colorful veggies and Italian dressing. My favorite fruit salad is any mix of sliced grout dressed with a glaze made of fruit juice and vanilla pudding (the kind you have to cook) with a rational of 1 cup juice/pudding package. Cook until clear, cool slightly, coat fruit and chill. servedogmom@yahoo.com

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  52. Truth be told, what I eat doesn't necessarily change from season to season. My mom's on the other hand, does. She can go from craving chili in the coldest part of winter to summer meals that contain nothing but sliced fruit. If that fruit has just come out of the refrigerator, so much the better. Early this summer, at my little cousins' combined birthday party, one of the guests brought a macaroni salad that my mom loved! She wasn't able to get the recipe from the guest before the guest left (and she didn't know how to contact her to ask for it), so my mom has spent most of this entire summer experimenting with different versions of macaroni salad trying to find one that is at least as good as that one. She even dragged me into helping her try to find this recipe of hers! Unfortunately, the "perfect" recipe still hasn't been discovered, and due to a recent car accident, my mom won't be cooking for awhile. Looks like this search is going to stretch either into the winter (probably not, her tastes will have probably changed again before she is back to cooking) or will be picked up again next summer. *Sigh*

    I can't wait to read Berried Secrets, it sounds so good. Thanks for the chance to win it.

    robbfan141729@yahoo.com

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  53. We eat in season. My favorite summer dish is pasta salad.

    gibsonbk at hiwaay dot net

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  54. I do a quick pasta salad for a nice summer treat. Pasta, then I add chunks of cheese, pepperoni (or salami) and soak it all in a Greek Vinegrette salad dressing!

    cozyupwithkathy @ gmail dot com

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  55. I too did not know basil paste existed....oh the joy of summer's harvest!!! $

    ejbs3s@yahoo.com

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  56. I have never seen basil paste before! Is it a really good substitute for fresh? I like salads that use whatever you can put together.

    ElaineE246 @ msn.com

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