Simple Summer Salad

Here's a recipe for all of your upcoming picnic-ing needs this summer. Easy to make. Easy to transport. Easy to please the pickiest of fellow picnic goers. Even the vegetarians.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad
makes 8-10 servings

2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
1 English cucumber (bite size pieces)
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 red onion (diced)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper

for the vinaigrette
1 lemon (juice)
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh dill (optional)

In a large pot of very salty water, boil pasta to al dente. Drain pasta, add a dash of olive oil, and let cool to room temperature in a bowl.

Chop up your veggies. For the tomatoes, scoop out and discard seeds and cut into bite size pieces. Cut the cucumber in half, longways, cut in half again, and chop into bite size pieces. Dice the onion.

To the cooled pasta, add cucumber, tomato, onion, crumbled feta, salt and pepper.

Whisk together the vinaigrette, and pour over the pasta and veg. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the vinaigrette really soak in.

Add a little additional olive oil to serve, only if the salad seems at all dry. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary.