Pilaf Style Orzo

Being Greek, I grew up on Orzo. I remember my grandmother serving it to me as a child with just a little butter and Parmesan cheese. I always add it to my rice pilaf on holidays. This is a really simple recipe, I always use as a side. It's really just a few ingredients, but still a flavorful dish. I always toast my nuts for a few minutes in the oven because it brings out a stronger flavor in them.

2-3 cups of chicken broth

1 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 package orzo

Toast the almonds on a baking sheet or small ramekin in a 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until just browning. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add orzo and spinach. Cook the orzo al dente according to package directions and drain lightly any excess broth. Toss in your almonds. If not serving right away, toss in 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil to keep it from sticking together.

Confetti Couscous

This is a great side for a holiday feast, yet simple enough to make on a weeknight. The colors make this a beautiful and tasty dish. I'm a big fan of couscous over rice.

 

1 cup water or chicken broth
1 cup uncooked couscous
3 minced celery stalks
1 minced carrot
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Recipe Adapted from Sisi's Kochen Und Backen
 

Cook couscous according to package directions. You can buy the large canister if you plan to cook it a lot or simply buy a single serving to try it and discard the spice sack. You can, of course, cook it in water but, why would you cook anything in water when you can infuse it with broth?

 

Toast the almonds in the oven at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they slightly brown. This will bring out the taste in the nuts. Chop vegetables while these items are cooking and then simply mix together. Fluff and mix with a fork only, you don't want to mash and mangle the couscous. If you aren't serving this right away, toss in 1-2 Tbsp of flavored olive oil to keep it from sticking together.