Light and Refreshing Sesame Orzo Salad

"This is something that I came up with to take to a cookout today. Grilled salmon and steak were served, and this went very well with it and was well-liked. This has a very delicate and subtle flavor (it was described by one person as "light and refreshing," which is where the name comes from). I wanted something with an Asian feel but I didn't want to make an Oriental coleslaw - I love those, but I just wasn't in the mood for anything that sweet or vinegar-y. The bulk of the flavor comes from the sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, so I don't think those two ingredients should be substituted. This salad can be served at any temperature, but I do strongly recommend refrigerating overnight since it takes time for the flavor to fully develop. I liked the light taste and "dryness" of the dressing, but feel free to make up more dressing if your tastes are different than mine. This would also be good with rice in place of the orzo. This filled up a 2.5 quart serving bowl. Cook time is refrigerator time."
 
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photo by Vino Girl photo by Vino Girl
photo by Vino Girl
Ready In:
9hrs
Ingredients:
18
Serves:
10

ingredients

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directions

  • Cook orzo pasta in boiling water for about 4 minutes.
  • Rinse with cold water and drain.
  • Place in a large bowl.
  • In a liquid measuring cup with a spout, mix the dressing ingredients together.
  • Slice the water chestnuts if they weren't presliced, and then cut the slices into quarters to make small pieces.
  • Add these to the bowl with the pasta.
  • Add the broccoli, onions, bell pepper, peas, carrots, and sprouts to the bowl, and mix gently but thoroughly.
  • Add the dressing and mix again.
  • Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
  • Before serving, stir the salad up to remix it, and sprinkle sunflower kernals on top.
  • Thinly slice the orange and then cut the slices in half.
  • Stand these up around the edge of the bowl as a garnish.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature.

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Reviews

  1. Very tasty! I prepared the orzo salad for a derby party. The recipe made a lot of salad. I doubled the dressing and used all of it.
     
  2. my family loved this salad. i doubled the dressing and used all of it and found it to be just right. i made the salad 1 day in advance so as it sat in the fridge, it soaked up alot of the dressing. i added the sunflower seeds and the bean sprouts just before serving so they would still be crisp, and served it with teriyaki, cedar plank salmon that i broiled in the oven. YUM!!! i will definately make this again! thank-you for an original and tastey recipe!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

My husband and I married straight out of college in July of 1992. I work as the Assistant Manager at a wine shop which allows me to drink on the job! (OK, not that much, but it's still a fun job...) Besides helping customers choose wine they will like (and also help with food and wine pairings for their menus), I also get to help with the catering end of the business, so I get to spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen making fun appetizers and beautiful food displays. I also work part-time at the fromagerie next door. So yeah - that means I eat on the job, too. :^D We live on several peaceful wooded acres on a cute little river in rural NE Wisconsin, with a cranky old-lady Burmese and whatever stray outdoor cats that have decided to adopt us on any given day. The cute puppy in the picture is Jake, our Elhew-bred English Pointer that we brought home on Easter weekend 2007. I've also got 2 painted turtles named Dennis and Fuzz, and a bunch of fish (koi and goldfish, along with the guppies & swordtails in the turtle tank). I USUALLY eat and cook healthy, but I rarely pass up dessert, either. I do not eat red meat, and try to limit other animal products, too. I love to bake, although I seem to collect a lot of scone and biscotti recipes which I NEVER get around to making. I bake and eat A LOT of cookies and muffins... I almost always reduce the sugar by 1/4 and use whole wheat pastry flour for at least part of the flour. Those two changes do so much to make recipes healthier without compromising taste. I try to reduce fat whenever I can, too, but while I want to eat healthy, I still want to ENJOY what I eat!!! I seem to give a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews here - I seem to have a pretty good sense of what I like by looking at a recipe before I try it. Thank you to anyone that tries my recipes in return, or photographs them. Amber: <img src="http://netnet.net/~mkburie/amber2.jpg"> ........And a grown up Jake (one year old in January 2008) :) - <img src="http://netnet.net/~mkburie/JAKE111307.JPG"> Charlotte (May 27, 1992-June 1, 2009): <img src="http://netnet.net/~mkburie/Charlott.jpg"> Ashley: Adopted October 8, 1996 - Passed Away January 6, 2009 <img src="http://netnet.net/~mkburie/ashley2.jpg"> Mike: September 26, 1994 - March 19, 2004<img src="http://netnet.net/~mkburie/mike1997-lr.JPG">.... <a href='http://www.niftymaps.com/visitor-map.php?id=36321'><img src='http://i.niftymaps.com/36321.png' alt='Click to zoom in on my visitor map!' border='0'></a>Create your free world <a href='http://www.niftymaps.com/' target='_blank'>visitor maps</a>
 
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