Orzo with feta, tomatoes and dill
Healthy salad with feta, orzo and tomatoes
Now you probably thought I would continue posting recipes for utterly decadent and unhealthy chocolate cakes, right? But no… sorry to disappoint; it’s time to get healthy again!
Talking of which I have a question for all of you… do you have any really good and really really fast recipes that you use for all those days that real cooking is just not an option?
I’ll explain what I mean. Tom and I really would like to get better in eating healthy and eating sensibly and also losing weight. We have are good moments, but what happens is that at certain points in the week we are too busy and those are the moments it all goes wrong and we end up ordering pizza or snacking on other unhealthy things… Weightloss and healthy eating down the drain. That just annoys me enormously and I know we have ourselves to blame ofcourse.
But how do you do it? To give an example of our current week schedule you can probably see the issue.
Delicious and healthy orzo salad
Tuesday I have a reportage in Friesland, about 2 hours drive from home. I will be back from work at around 8 pm if lucky.
Wednesday I have a wedding to photograph till 7.30. Home around 8.30.
Thursday I’m actually going out for dinner with a friend as it’s her birthday but let’s go with this week. When we are both home late and haven’t eaten anything in between we tend to resort to bad habits. So what I really want to try is to get some really easy and really fast recipes with virtually no cooking involved. Case in point; this recipe for orzo for instance.
Quick, delicious and fairly healthy.
So picture yourself, no grocery shopping possible anymore, so you’d have to do with things you have in the fridge, freezer or cupboard. What are your go to recipes for days where you have 10 minutes to whip up something? Sure we have some real easy pasta and rice and stirfry recipes but I need more variety….
Tell me your secrets on how to keep on track!
Orzo (risoni) with feta, tomatoes and dill
Yield: 2
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered depending on size)
- 1/2 cup dill (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup orzo
- 1,5 cup feta
Directions:
| Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, zest and 1/2 tablespoon each of salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Let stand at roomtemperature for at least 10 minutes. | |
| Meanwhile, cook orzo in a pasta pott of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain orzo, leave to cool a little and then toss with the tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again |
|
Note
Originally featured in Gourmet magazine in july 2008.
Recipe from Epicurious
Appetizer
Asian
Bread
Breakfast
Desserts & other sweets
Healthy
Yay for another lunch idea for me!!
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 09:22
Love these quick and healthy lunches!
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It all boils down to planning Simone. We find that manu planning on Saturdays before the Chef does his weekly grocery shopping really helps and then we make stocks and sauces so a lot of it is just ‘throw togethers’ at the last minute on a busier day. Orzo has never been one of my favourites but I am a sucker for feta and tomato in anything. I think I will make this for the kids for their school lunch. I know they will love it.
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Dzoli — September 20th, 2011 at 09:20
After all the sweet sensations and tons of chocoalte..such a great fresh sald is here to save us;))
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 09:24
I know! I thought I couldn’t only ‘feed’ you all with just chocolate, so here’s a better alternative!
Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 09:24
Hmm, so I got to get better at planning… Well I knew I had too ofcourse but it is quite hard with a schedule as irregular as ours… I do think anything tastes better with feta and tomatoes!
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These easy and healthy meals make my day, Simone..no slogging in the kitchen, still you get best results!
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 09:25
Lol… yeah, I love quick and easy meals like this..!
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A marvelous salad! I could it eat every day of teh week.
Cheers,
Rosa
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I suck at planning. I was trying make weekly plans, and it actually works, but it’s not for me, especially right now. But for quick warm meals I often choose kind of bruschetta, they quick, warm and easy
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 23:05
Yep we do a lot of sandwich type recipes too, but we always end up with the same stuff (probably because that is what is usually always in the fridge..lol)
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Beautiful……..
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 23:04
Thanks Alpana!
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Salad looks so colorful ! Beautiful pictures
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yummy!! looks really delicious
care to share a plate with me cause I know mine won’t be this good looking as yours. nice pics 
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 23:03
Thanks so much…
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This looks, simple and delish Simone. As for planning…I’m away a lot so I freeze pasta sauces and soups. If I’m getting home later than normal, I make quick salads too (cooked quinoa, shredded baby spinach leaves, kalamata olives, sliced cucumbers, poached chicken breasts, a few nuts a “zesty” dressing and voila!…dinner in 30 mins). Hope this helps.
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Simone (junglefrog) — September 20th, 2011 at 23:03
Thanks Peter! Yes it does help. The only thing I struggle with when it comes to frozen foods is that it needs to be defrosted so I would have to actually plan to use it upfront… See it all comes down to planning again.. I sooo have to get better at that! But those salad options sound delicious too!
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This looks delicious Simone. I love the combination of feta and tomatoes.
As for my quick meals, like Peter I tend to freeze a lot of pasta sauce (I make huge batches and portion it before freezing). I also rely on simple to prepare dishes like lemon spaghetti and vegetable stir fries.
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I throw together meals just like this when I’m busy! Delicious, fast and easy! I use whatever veggies I have on hand and toss it with pasta, a little cheese, sometimes beans too.
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this looks like such a great make-ahead lunch recipe! I’m definitely going to have to try this one out soon. It looks so refreshing!
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This is absolutely superb. Looks so fresh and tasty. And I love love love the colour combination! The idea of using purple dishes is absolutely brilliant!
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Mmm, I love orzo… unfortunately, Laurent doesn’t.
Let’s see, easy recipes… I often have homemade soup in the freezer, which comes in handy a lot. I’m assuming pasta is already on your list, lol. Otherwise, sometimes we just sauté a slab of fish with vegetables on the side; but we’re lucky in that we have a 24-hour supermarket close by. But most of the time, we try to plan ahead, make things the day before that can be reheated quickly, like casseroles or stews.
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My kind of lunch.. so light and full of flavors. we have been eating not so healthy too for some reason and I am not even busy.:( I think I will make the orzo today. I don’t have dill but will use some other fresh herbs.
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Hi,
This is the first time I read your blog. Love the salad recipes. I am a MD and Nutritionist and loooove to cook so I know just what you mean with a healthy and fast dinner option. I would give you the following tips:
1 – Make a schedule during the weekend before grocery shopping.. Too obvious… But if you are not a planner:
- Be prepared for anything…. Basically my salads as a heavy meal have the following: leaves, tomatoes, onions, dried fruits, cheese and protein. So, when you go grocery shopping buy lots of salad ingredientes: feta, goat cheese, various nuts, various vegetables (bell peppers give a great taste to green salads, but also get corn, tomato, etc.), various leaves, proteins (low fat ham, low fat bacon, chicken breasts, etc…). When you get home store everything in a ready-2-use kind of way (meats seasoned and separated, vegetables washed and cut, etc.), this way you can mix and match easily when you get home tired.
Hope that helps!
Keep posting those great recipes!!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 27th, 2011 at 17:56
Thanks for the great tips Susana! I like the tip to already season things and keep it all ready and good to go!
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This looks so refreshing!!! Where do you buy your orzo?
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