Recipe of the Week - June 12, 2011

I often suggest to many of the clients that I work with to try one new recipe a week. Each week I will post the new recipe I'm testing and will rate the recipe after I prepare it. If you try out the recipe as well I welcome your feedback and input!

Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing 

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked orzo

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained

Source: www.myrecipes.com

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 green onions, sliced

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons light sour cream

2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse; drain well. Place orzo, corn, and next 3 ingredients (through beans) in a large bowl; toss. Combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over orzo mixture; toss. Top with avocado; garnish with remaining cilantro and parsley.

Cilantro - before...

Barbara Lauterbach, Cooking Light
MAY 2011

Nutrition Information (per serving, 1 3/4 cup + 2 avocado wedges)

Calories: 424

Fat: 15.3g

Saturated fat: 2.3g

Monounsaturated fat: 8.4g

Polyunsaturated fat: 2.7g

Protein: 12.7g

Carbohydrate: 63.8g

Fiber: 10.1g

Cilantro - after!

Cholesterol: 6mg

Iron: 1.8mg

Sodium: 607mg

Calcium: 80mg

Rating
4 out of 5

Tips:

• If you like spicy, add 1/8th tsp. of cayenne pepper for some added kick!
• Go heavy on the veggies. With most any recipe I make if it calls for veggies I always add extra.
• No need to buy buttermilk for this recipe. Make your own. For every 1 cup of milk add 1 Tbs. of lime juice; let the mixture sit for 5 minutes (it will curdle a bit which is OK).
• If you like, serve with a grilled chicken breast. I added some steamed broccoli on the side.
• One of my FAVORITE (and most used) kitchen appliances is my food processor. It makes chopping a breeze and saves so much time. Definitely a worthy investment. Very helpful with the cilantro on this recipe.
  

Final product!