Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad

This is kind of a dish that I call, Summer Don’t Go- Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad.

If you live in a year-round sunny and warm region, you’d love this, and I envy you. If you don’t live in a year-round sunny and warm region, you can still try it. If you want to wait for another 10 months to make this dish, I don’t blame you.

This salad is just perfect for a nice picnic outside, or a BBQ. It’s vegetarian friendly, too!

Ingredients:

1 lb orzo pasta

1 yellow squash, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 small eggplant, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 small red onion, diced

4 tbs olive oil, for roasting

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, for dressing

lemon juice from one lemon

1 tbs Herbs de Provence

salt & pepper

everyday seasoning

Key players

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place diced vegetables on a pan.

2. Mix vegetables with herbs de provence, olive oil, splash of salt and pepper, and everyday seasoning. Place mixture in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

3. Cook orzo according to the package direction. Drain.

4. Secret ingredient to brighten a dish up-

5. Once the vegetables and orzo are both done, add in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and mix.

Simple, right? Ready to go outside for the barbecue!

Lemon Sugarcane Juice

I discovered this drink from a Vietnamese restaurant in Taipei. Oh my god, it is amazing.

If you have access to fresh sugarcane juice, you’ve got to try this, it’s the ultimate thirst cruncher.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

2/3 cup of sugarcane juice

lots of ice

Directions:

1. pour in the lemon juice

2. add lots of ice and then pour in the sugarcane juice

3. stir and enjoy

Rocket science, right?

Feel free to adjust the sweet/sourness based on your own taste. I assure you this would win the most refreshing drink of the summer!