Spring Pea Orzo

Photo: Helen Norman; Styling: Carrie Purcell

Ready in 25 minutes

DIRECTIONS
3 to 4 lemons
8 ounces uncooked orzo pasta (whole wheat optional)
1/4 cup minced shallot or red onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked fresh or frozen peas
1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas, blanched and chopped (I used frozen green beans)
1 cup assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as mint, chives, and parsley)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Optional - Athenos, Crumbled Feta with Garlic and Herbs, 4 oz

PREPARATION
1. Grate zest from lemons to equal 2 tsp. Cut lemons in half; squeeze juice from lemons to equal 1/2 cup.

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Whisk together shallots, next 4 ingredients, and lemon juice. Toss together pasta and shallot mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 to 48 hours.

3. Toss together pasta, peas, snow peas, next 2 ingredients, and lemon zest just before serving. Add salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

NOTES: from Southern Living's April 2014 issue. Reviews mentioned to use less shallots, lemon and mustard. 

Blueberry & Kale Grain Salad

Yield: Makes 8 servings (or 4/5 meals)
Hands-on: 20 Minutes
Total: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup wheat berries (which takes an hour to make. A quicker substitute is Farro)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 (8-oz.) package sugar snap peas
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette
2 cups fresh blueberries (awesome addition are purple grapes)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation: 
1. Bring wheat berries, salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, cook peas in boiling salted water to cover 2 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain and pat dry. Slice in half. Drain wheat berries; rinse under cold water until cool.

3. Toss together kale, wheat berries, and 1/4 cup vinaigrette in a large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Stir in blueberries, pecans, and sugar snap peas. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.



Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard

Preparation:
Stir together red wine vinegar and minced shallot; let stand 10 minutes. Whisk in olive oil and remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Notes: 
Recipe from Southern Living's july-2014-recipe-list.

Fried Rice with Shallots

I N G RE D I E N T S
3 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for frying I used sesame oil as a substitute
3 shallots, thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 1/2 cups cold cooked jasmine rice (see Note)
Salt
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
Lime wedges, for serving

D I R E C T I O N S
In a small skillet, heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil until shimmering. Add 1/4 cup of the sliced shallots and fry over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to paper towels to drain.
In a wok or large skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the turmeric and the remaining 1/2 cup of shallots and stir-fry over moderately high heat until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Add the peas and stir-fry until the rice and peas are hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the fried shallots and season with salt. Transfer the rice to a bowl and serve with lime wedges.

N O T E S
Published in Food & Wine's October 2012 issue.
Total time: 25 minutes; Serves 4