A Meatless Mondays Recipe

Orzo Salad is a perfect warm-weather dish. Crisp vegetables, mint, and a lemon dressing make this dish a refreshing choice. It pairs perfectly with Tiziano, a drink made with Prosecco, grape juice, mint and lemon.

Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
1 tsp. minced garlic
2/3 cup olive oil

Salad Ingredients

2 2/3 cup orzo
6 oz. fresh sugar snap peas, cut 1/2 – 3/4 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups tomato (seeded and chopped)
3/4 cup English cucumber, diced, skin left on
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup mint, chopped
2 tsp. lemon peel, grated

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander. Rinse with cold water and drain. Cook orzo in the same pot for 8 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine orzo, peas, tomato, cucumber, scallions, parsley, mint, and 2 tsp. lemon peel.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, lemon peel, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss. Reserve remaining dressing and toss just before serving. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh – A Meatless Mondays Recipe

Tabbouleh is a great springtime recipe. The fresh veggies, lemon, and mint make this dish feel light and summery.

I’d never used bulgur before, so this was a new cooking and taste experience for me. Now I’m hooked. Hope you like it as much as I do. It’s nutritious and delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup bulgar wheat (I used red bulgur)
water for cooking bulgar
kosher salt (for cooking bulgur and then to taste)
1 cup scallions, minced, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 English cucumber, seeded, unpeeled, and diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the bulgur according to package directions, with salt. Drain and rinse to stop cooking and cool the bulgur.

While the bulgur is cooking, chop vegetables.

In a large bowl, combine bulgur, scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber and tomatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over bulgur and vegetables; mix well. Chill and serve.

Serves 8.

Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli (A Meatless Mondays Recipe)

My grandmother made the best Pasta Fagioli (Pasta Fazool) ever. She never wrote her recipes down – you had to catch her in the act and try to scribble down the ingredients and guess how much she was adding (A little of this, and a bunch of that). For years I tried to find a bowl of pasta and beans that rivaled hers. In the end, I used a combination of recipes to get this vegetarian version tasting as close to hers as possible without breaking the diet bank.

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 small or 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 can or box of crushed tomatoes (I like Pomi)
2 cans or one box carton of vegetable broth (28-32 oz total)
2 cups water**
1 Parmesan cheese rind
1 15 oz can cannellini beans (white or red)**
1 Tbs basil
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs parsley
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes (if you like the heat)
6 oz pasta (Ditalini)
freshly grated Parmesan
chopped parsley

Directions

Finely chop the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. (To save time I put mine all together in the food processor).

Saute the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in olive oil over medium heat.

Add chopped tomatoes, beans**, cheese rind, vegetable broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper, if desired. Add one cup of water. Bring to a boil.

Simmer, stirring occasionally. Add the Ditalini and cook until pasta is al dente.

Top each bowl with freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

**Beans – for thicker soup, put all or half of the beans in a blender with a cup of water and blend until smooth. Add the remaining water to the pot. For a lighter color, use white cannellini beans instead of the red beans.