so you know i’ve been like all dairy free and stuff right…i’m not gonna complain, i’m having fun figuring out recipes (and testing out not so normal for me foods). plus i’m starting to feel great!
so when my friend amy raved about this recipe she made the other night i had to have it. and then i found out there was all sorts of buttery goodness and cheese involved. and then i was intrigued. i had to do it, i had to make it, i had to see for myself if cheese really made the difference, if it was just as good, if my family would notice.
they didn’t. i didn’t. there is enough left over for me to gorge on for lunch (like a spoonful).
we all fell in love with the roasted pine nuts, the chunks of garlic, the cherry tomatoes…the basil. we loved the textures, the bite of the fresh cracked pepper and the clash of seasons in one dish.
easy, simple, worth it.
orzo with fresh tomatoes and basil
of course, use the butter. you will also see i use handfuls in most of my recipes. mostly because i don’t believe in measuring. it’a a habit. i think cooking should be about having fun, plus you can always add more.
- 4 tbl earth balance natural buttery spread
- 6 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 cups orzo (i used whole foods southwestern blend, available in bulk)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
- handful of fresh chopped basil
- 2 small handfuls of toasted pine nuts
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- in a large sauté pan, melt (fake) butter and add orzo. sauté for 1 minute.
- add your stock to the pan and bring to a boil. cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the orzo is soft and the stock is almost all absorbed.
- in the meantime, chop your tomatoes and basil and quickly toast your pine nuts in a separate sauté pan (to a dry pan, add nuts and toss carefully making sure not to burn them, set aside).
- add tomatoes, basil and pine nuts, toss, taste and season with salt and pepper.
that’s it. easy and so yummy.
This looks simple, delish, and healthy!