Grub: Whole Wheat Greek Orzo Salad

Eddie's carnivorous version sans tomatoes. (Before he added his sriracha!) 

My veggie version... oh so delish! 

Now we're talkin! My great friend Stephanie sent me this recipe (via Pinch My Salt) and holy moly is it tasty! The cool thing about this salad is that you can add pretty much whatever you'd like (considering it blends well with the overall taste) and customize it to your palate's delight. I knew I wanted to make it my own when I saw that the original calls for finely chopped kalamata olives. I don't care how fine these things may be... we just don't get along. I've never been one for olives and so I kindly omitted them. I also decided to throw in some slivered almonds for an added crunch effect. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. This is the perfect dish for a summer bbq... quick and easy, fresh and so unbelievably healthy!

Serves: 6
Ingredients:
8 oz whole wheat orzo pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup cherry tomotoes, finely chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, finely chopped (ew, it hurts just to type it)
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Prep:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water, then allow to drain well again. In a large bowl, toss pasta with olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best when served chilled.

You can also try adding these: finely chopped red onion, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, fresh chopped dill, or grated lemon zest! I will surely be trying this one again, next time around adding more of these to make it more fun and colorful! Bon appetit!