(Recipe can be found on the Fit Sugar site here and came from the site Generation Y Foodie here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
This dish comes together in a flash and all that is needed are the following ingredients: Ground Pepper, Olive Oil, Your choice of chicken or vegetable broth or I used vegetable stock for a deeper flavor, Artichoke Hearts (You can use fresh or frozen but I went for the canned, quartered variety), 8 oz. or dried Orzo pasta, Sea Salt, Fresh Basil, Lemon juice (my lemon was small so I used the entire thing but if you have a large lemon, half of the lemon will do), Shallots (the recipe also calls for 1/2 an onion, which I didn’t have, so I ended up using about 4 or 5 small to medium sized shallots), Fresh Parmesan cheese for topping, and about a cup of peas (I love peas and used more than a cup, so it’s up to you). Wow, that’s a lot of disclaimers! 😉
I started off by boiling water to cook the orzo. While the water came to a boil, I rinsed and drained a can of quartered artichoke hearts.
Then I finely chopped my shallots. Again I used 4 to 5 small shallots because I didn’t have any onions and it worked beautifully.
By now, the water was boiling, so I cooked the orzo according to the packaging.
In a pan, I sauteed my shallots over medium heat in about 1 T. of olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
Then the artichokes get added and sauteed over low heat for another 3 minutes or so.
At this point, the peas get added to the shallots and artichokes for another 2-3 minutes.
While the peas cooked, I chopped up about 2 Tablespoons of fresh basil. I may have added more basil just because I really love the smell of it.
To the shallots, artichoke hearts and peas, the vegetable stock, basil, and salt and pepper get added and then let it simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
By now the orzo had finished cooking and had been drained. I added the orzo along with the lemon juice to the pan and stirred everything up. Then you serve the orzo, and I chose to use a vegetable peeler and peel a few pieces (not many) of fresh parmesan cheese over the top of the dish. It was really delicious, and you’ll love it! It’s great on its own but would also go well with chicken or fish. Enjoy!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 lb dry whole wheat orzo pasta
1 cup fresh English peas, washed
1 cup artichoke hearts, washed and chopped (fresh, canned or frozen)
1 medium shallot, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or veggie)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
parmesan cheese (optional)
Preparation Instructions:
1. Cook orzo according to package directions
2. Sauté shallot and onion in olive oil on medium heat until soft, 3-4 minutes
3. Add artichoke hearts, reduce to low heat and sauté 2-3 minutes
4. Add peas and saute another 2 minutes
5. Add broth, basil, salt and pepper and simmer on low for 5 minutes
6. Toss with cooked orzo and lemon juice.
7. Serve with parmesan cheese
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