Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Another good day in veggie land. We had buckwheat pancakes for breakfast, and they were pretty good--next time I'll add some cinnamon, and they would definitely be great with fresh fruit. For dinner we had a very summery meal, since it was actually sunny outside--hooray! I got the recipe from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, "Barefoot Contessa Parties!" I used wild rice instead of orzo, and it worked I think.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables:

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced (again, I didn't have eggplant, so I used zucchini instead)

1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced

1 yellow pepper, 1-inch diced

1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced (I always end up just using half an onion)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tblsp olive oil

salt

freshly groud pepper

1/2 pound orzo

2 scallions, minced

1/4 cup pignolis, toasted (I didn't have these, but I wished I had--they would have been yummy)

3/4 pound good feta, 1/2 inch diced (again, I didn't have, so I used diced grilled chicken instead)

for dressing:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and galic with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until browned.

Meanwhile, cook orzo (or wild rice). Drain and transfer to large serving bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables. Pour dressing on pasta and vegetables. Let cool. Add the scallions, pignolis, feta and fresh basil. Serve at room temperature.

oh, I also topped it with some roasted grape tomatoes, which I roasted with the other vegetables. I needed to use up the rest of the tomatoes, and two of us won't eat tomatoes unless they're cooked (that's you, Nate and Riley).

Now we just need summer...