First off, this has nothing to do with an instant pot but I know that when I search for recipes I wasn’t smart enough to have the keyword ‘recipe’ but I sure have the keyword ‘instant pot’ that I search for! So I would hate to see this recipe get lost because I don’t use the right keyword.
I did a variation on this salad and it was a hit. It was a variation because I didn’t have some of the ingredients. Listed below is what I changed for me to remember what I did!
INGREDIENTS
- 12 ounces uncooked orzo
- 0.5 large handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1 (398 ml) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 0.5 cup basil leaves
- Lots of lemon juice (recipe asked for 1–2 lemons, zested and juiced)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup of feta cheese
- 1 small can of sliced black olives
Notes:
– I didn’t have the 2 cups of baby spinach they asked for.
– I didn’t have 1/2 red onion on hand
– The recipe asked for roughly cut basil leaves. I didn’t have actual leaves on hand but I had some in a spice rack. I ended up using 1/2 cup of basil leaves which I was worried about but I think it came out well. On the other hand, Sierra didn’t like the ‘black bits’ on the salad and didn’t want to eat any so…maybe I should make her a non-basil bowl the next time?
– The recipe asked for a 1 cup of roughly chopped mint leaves and I had no mint.
– I didn’t have any lemons on hand to zest and juice. I added some lemon juice. Then when we ate the salad we wanted more. A lot more. So I think if we had lemons on hand it would be great if they were zested and juiced.
– The olives were a great addition and I think would be even better if we added sliced kalamata olives the next time.
There is quite a bit left over. Probably eat another meal.