Orzo Confetti Salad

I love fresh pasta salads, light on the pasta, heavy on the veggies. They are light and nourshing, great in warm weather or cold, and they last for days in the frig (not that you will have any leftover because they will be devoured quickly!) Here's one to delight. This colorful salad features orzo, a small rice-shaped pasta, combined with diced raw and blanched vegetables in a light olive oil & mustard dressing. The trick is to dice all the vegetables so they are about the size of the orzo so it looks like a bowl of confetti. You can also adjust the dressing ingedients if you are seeking a lower fat version. Serve it alone or in lettuce leaves as a quick and easy lunch "sandwich."

Orzo Confetti Salad
Makes about 6 cups (4-6 servings)

1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
Salt

Dressing:
3 TB white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
6 TB olive oil

1 carrot, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 plum tomato, finely chopped
1/2 sweet green pepper, finely chopped (yellow, orange or red are great, too)
1/3 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper & salt to taste


Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and some salt to the water and boil about 8 minutes, or under pasta is al dente. Pour orzo into a sieve, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, drain well and place the pasta in a large bowl. Using the same saucepan, bring a small amount of water to boil and add the carrots, blanching them for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water and place them in the bowl with the orzo. Add the remaining vegetables to the pasta and carrots. For the dressing, combine vinegar and mustard in a small bowl, then slowly whisk in the oil. Pour the dressing over the pasta & veggies, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine well. Keeps for several days in the frig.