South of the Border Orzo Salad #RSC

Ready, Set, Cook! Hidden Valley Contest Entry. I wanted to make an orzo salad for lunch, but didn't have the ingredients on hand that I make it with. Working with what I had in the refridgerator and pantry I came up with this salad. Depending on your tase you can use the mild or hot jalapenos. If you are not going to serve this salad right away, remove1/4 of the dressing before you add the rest of the ngredients to it. Stir it in right before serving to freshen the salad up. Also run the orzo under cold water after cooking it and drain it well.

• Ready In: 33 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 6 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1  cup  Greek yogurt
• 1  tablespoon  Hidden Valley Original Ranch Seasoning Mix
• 2  lemons, juice and zest of
• 16  ounces orzo pasta, cooked
• 2  tablespoons shallots, diced
• 15 1⁄2 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2  cups  cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 8  ounces colby-monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 3  tablespoons  pickled jalapeno peppers, diced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 3  cups  spinach leaves, torn into bite size pieces
• 1  cup grape tomatoes

Directions

1. In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt,origional ranch seasoning mix , zest, and juice of the lemons.
2. Stir in the orzo, shallots, black beans, chicken breast, cheese, jalapnos, salt, and pepper until well mixed. Toss in the spinach and tomatoes right before serving.