Friday, May 9, 2008

Strawberry Lemonade

Ahhhh... Summer is here, and its time to cool down with a refreshing strawberry lemonade! Yumm...! Since the past 3 weeks, its become a Sunday ritual to make strawberry lemonade, and we have it almost everyday. Its citrusy, yet sweet and so pretty looking!! :) You could even add mint juice to make a mint strawberry lemonade, sounds good ha! :)

Ingredients:

20 strawberries
3 big lemons
Simple syrup(recipe follows)
full tray of ice cubes
8 cups of water

Simple Syrup:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar


Method:

To make the simple syrup, at medium heat in a saucepan, add the sugar and water, and stir it gently till the sugar dissolves. Let cool.

Puree the strawberries along with the lemon juice. Strain the strawberry puree through a sieve(may not be fine). Add the water and simple syrup and stir. Now, strain again into a pouring jar through a very fine sieve to remove all the strawberry seeds, so that clear liquid comes out.

Add the ice cubes, and its ready to sip and take you all through summer! ;)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Greek Orzo Salad

Orzo is a light pasta, and it makes for a good summer salad. I decided to try and make a greek orzo salad with loads of fresh veggies. It turned out really yummy! One could even have this salad on the side with grilled chicken, making it a wholesome meal with protein, carbs and veggies!!


Ingredients:

Around 4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups orzo(preferrably Barilla)
2 tomatoes diced into chunks
1 cucumber, peeled and diced into small cubes
1/2 red onion either thinly sliced, OR diced into tiny pieces
1 red roasted bell pepper
About 20 pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup feta cheese with garlic and herbs cut into tiny cubes

For the greek vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Lemon juice from 1 small lemon
1 tablespoon honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon or dried oregano


Method:

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley, roasted red bellpepper, olives, feta cheese and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!:)