Sunday, April 17, 2011

Orzo Pesto Salad

Recipe Adapted from:
Weight Watchers "Meals in Minutes" Cookbook

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
3/4 cup basil leaves
2/3 cup arugula leaf
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon walnut pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
3/4 lb turkey breast cutlets
6 kalamata olives, pitted and slivered
1 head radicchio, quartered, cored, and sliced
16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper

Preparation:

1 Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo, reduce the hear, and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and put the orzo in a large bowl.
2 To make the pesto, combine the basil, arugula, garlic, walnuts, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a food processor or blender. Add the reserved hot cooking liquid and puree. Stir 2 Tablespoons of the pesto into the orzo.
3 Bring the wine and bay leaves to a boil in a medium skillet. Boil 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium and add the turkey. Cover and poach until the turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain, discarding the bay leaves.
4 Chop the turkey and add it to the orzo. Stir in the olives and radicchio. Fold in the remaining pesto and then the cherry tomatoes. Add the Parmesan, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt; toss to combine.

Notes & Tips:
This was so fresh and summery tasting. I was impressed with how fresh it tasted. I couldn't find any radicchio, so I subbed raw spinach. Also, I didn't have enough fresh basil, since apparently there is a basil shortage going around, so I had about a half cup and I just used a little more arugula.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 216.3
Total Fat 2.3 g
Sodium 522.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.7 g
Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
Sugars 1.8 g
Protein 16.0 g

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