Until that happens, our only option is to live vicariously through this salad, and bring a little bit of the Mediterranean sun into our homes and onto our plates.
This salad was a product of boredom, a desire to postpone vacuuming the living room, and a little bit of leftover feta that I found in my fridge. As an added bonus, it seemed like a good enough reason to postpone doing my taxes. Maybe I can just mail some of this in instead? Trust me, it's so delicious that even Capone could have walked.
You can mix it up with the vegetables in here, and use whatever you have. For me, that happened to be zucchini, but spinach, broccoli, squash, and peppers would probably all work really well also. Such a nice way to save those forgotten veggies in the crisper, teetering dangerously close to the Is-This-Supposed-To-Be-This-Squishy Zone.
Plus, the addition of the chickpeas adds a little bulk and a nice punch of protein!
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta, uncooked
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 green zucchini, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
- I can chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. dill
- 1 Tbsp. oregano
- 1/3 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. fresh mint, chopped
- 1/3 cup feta, crumbled
- salt to taste
Cook the orzo until it is al dente. Toss with a splash of olive oil (to prevent sticking) and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the sliced garlic. Once the garlic begins sizzling, add the zucchini. Cook until the zucchini reach desired softness.
Drain the chickpeas and rinse with cold water. Add to the skillet with the zucchini and garlic and leave it on the heat for a minute or two.
In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, dill, and oregano to make the dressing. If desired, increase the amount of lemon juice.
In a large bowl, toss the orzo together with the zucchini/chickpeas, the red onion and the mint. Allow to cool slightly before adding the feta. Add salt to taste.
Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.