June 23, 2015, posted by Gina -The dog days of summer have made it to my neck of the woods. For me, it is so hard to think of a menu for dinner when it is so hot outside. And by hot I mean 90 something degrees with 90% humidity. A rich roast makes me think of fall and winter. Soup in my mind is out of the question. My family has eaten its fair share of chicken lately. What’s a girl to do?
I postponed my shopping until the very last minute which put me at the grocery store at 5:00. When I walked in there were only two carts out of about a million remaining in the cart bin. Why was I there? I had seen a recipe for an orzo salad that looked refreshing and light. Of course, I make changes to most recipes and this one was no different. The original recipe calls for cilantro but I despise cilantro and when I say despise I mean I really hate it. To me it is one of those things that has just been done too much. I realize some of you may love cilantro and if you do, feel free to throw a lot of it in this recipe. I served this salad with a peppercorn pork tenderloin and it was the perfect compliment. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
ORZO SUMMER SALAD
SALAD:
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
12 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
3 green onions, sliced
1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
DRESSING:
¼ cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley or fresh parsley or cilantro
Whisk all dressing ingredients and pour over salad ingredients. Mix well. Enjoy!
Do you have any go-to recipes for summer? Do you think you’d like to try this recipe? We’d like to hear from you, so click on the title of this post to expand the comment form and leave us your comments.
