Dill, feta and orzo salad

 Anything with dill, is my current mantra, since volunteer dill is threatening to overrun my raised beds.

Dill and feta orzo salad
Adapted from “Live Life Deliciously" by Tara Bench, aka Tara Teaspoon

Ingredients
1 cup orzo
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
½ cup feta, crumbled, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

Method
Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Toss with lemon zest, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let cool, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t clump.

When cooled, mix in onions, tomatoes, cucumber, dill, feta, vinegar and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Garnish with dill and feta.

Rating: Nice. Unlike some pasta salads, it doesn't seem heavy, since it's filled with nearly as many vegetables as orzo. Flavorful with just a light dressing. Came together pretty quickly, and works well as a make-ahead cookout side. Very fresh tasting early summer salad, although I had to rely on Bushel Boy tomatoes and cukes. A few tiny green tomatoes are on the vines right now, rewarding me for the task of unearthing them amid the weeds after we got back from a trip north.

Sun-dried tomato garlic chive pesto bites

 

Sun-dried tomato pesto bites
Adapted from wellplated.com. Filling and pesto can be made in advance and refrigerated, but if you fill them in advance and refrigerate them the shells will lose their crunch so it’s best to fill them shortly before serving. Any pesto will do, but garlic chive pesto gives it an extra garlic boost, plus it retains its bright green color even when made well ahead.

Ingredients
30 mini phyllo shells (two 1.9-ounce boxes)
½ cup garlic chive pesto* or other pesto
⅔ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup yogurt
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Basil for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pastry shells to make them crisper. Remove from oven and set aside while preparing filling.

Mix cream cheese and yogurt in a mixing bowl.Add presto and beat until smooth. Mix in ⅔ of the sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese until just blended. Pipe or spoon mixture into cooled shells. Garnish with remaining sun-dried tomatoes and strips of basil.

Garlic chive pesto
Adapted from nativenurseries.com

Ingredients
1 generous bunch garlic chives
1 handful of parley
¼ cup walnuts
Juice of ½ lemon
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil

Method
In a food processor, combine garlic chives, parsley, walnuts, lemon juice, garlic and Parmesan. Pulse until well chopped. Add olive oil a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Rating: Well Plated refers to them as a Christmas bite, and they do have suitable coloring, but they worked really well with spring's garlic chives from the market turned into a bright-green pesto. Nice creamy texture, good flavor and attractive to boot. Also a pretty fast fix  if you make the pesto ahead. I'd make them again, perhaps at Christmas for that coloring. Wondering what a version with dill pesto would be like.