New Creation

So, Gropius and I had grilled chicken, fresh sugar snap peas, and an orzo of my own creation tonight for dinner. And, I'm in love with the orzo enough that I have to share. It was a typical spur-of-the-moment creation of mine: southwestern-spiced, with nuts or seeds, and some sort of grain or starch added. Tonight's orzo featured a combination of sunflower and pumpkin seeds and pinon nuts because that's what I had in my pantry. I added some southwestern spices like cumin seeds, oregano, and thyme (along with salt and pepper) and then added some vegetables in for good measure like onions, garlic, carrots, serrano peppers, and red bell peppers. Very tasty!



If you would like to have the recipe to fiddle with for yourself, here it is:

Orzo Pilaf with Southwestern Nuts and Spices

olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
1 serrano pepper, deseeded and minced

¼-1/3 c sunflower seeds
¼-1/3 c pumpkin seeds
¼-1/3 c pinon nuts
1 c orzo

roasted red bell pepper, chopped
dried thyme
dried oregano
cumin seeds
salt
freshly ground pepper

chicken (or vegetable) broth (if you want to keep it vegan/vegetarian)

Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet (w/lid) over medium high heat. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and pepper until softened. Stir in sunflower and pumpkin seeds, pinion nuts and orzo and continue cooking until browned and toasty. Add the bell pepper and spices, stirring well to combine.

Add enough broth to cover and bring to a slight boil. Cover the skillet and simmer, checking frequently (~ 5 min) to add more broth as needed until orzo is tender and cooked through.

Easily serves two hungry people (possibly up to 4 as a side dish?

Here are those delicious sugar snaps with the orzo in the background: