Some of our friends hosted a Memorial Day cookout and this is what I made for it. It’s fresh, summery, but filling enough to eat as a meal, espeically if you add a shredded rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients

• Orzo pasta, 1 cup dry
• 3 cups cucumber, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup celery tops, diced
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes 
• 1 can drained chick peas 
• 1 8oz block of feta, diced 
• 2 T chopped fresh dill, finely chopped 
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• Juice of 2 lemons 
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (high quality)
• *taste for salt, I add a sprinkle of flakey finishing salt at the very end before serving 

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to directions, set aside and let cool for ten minutes or so. Dice and mix the cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper, celery tops, and cherry tomatoes. Drain and mix in the chick peas, then the feta. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, fresh dill, salt, and garlic powder. Set to the side and genlty mix in the pasta. Lastly, pour the dressing mixture over the salad and gently stir until coated. Taste for salt now and make adjustments. This salad is best served chilled.