Bright Green Spring Salad

Spring is the time of verdant green, longer days and blossoming flowers. In East Asian medicine, it's the time of growth, inspiration & fresh starts, governed by the Wood element. It's also the time when we reemerge from the deep Yin of winter. The organs associated with the Wood element are the liver and the gallbladder. The sensory organ associated with the Wood element is the eyes (itchy allergy eyes anyone?) and the flavor is sour.

Today I prepared a springtime orzo salad and it hit all the right sour, fresh bright green herbaceous notes. Easy to prepare with lots of flexibility for ingredients, it was the perfect lunch to quickly prep and share with a friend.

BRIGHT GREEN SPRING ORZO

For the dressing:

• 1/2c extra virgin olive oil

• 1/3c red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp salt

• several grinds of pepper

• 2-3 tbsp chopped herbs (terragon, chive, parsley, cilantro, basil etc)

For the salad:

• 1.5c dried orzo (I like the organic whole wheat orzo from Delallo)

• 8 stalks asparagus, chopped

• 2-3 zucchini, chopped

• 2 cups loosely packed sprouts (pea, brocolli) or other microgreens

• 1 small head of little gem or romaine lettuce

• 1/4c pepperoncini, chopped

• 1/4c green olives, halved

• 4oz feta or crumbly goat's milk cheese

• 1/3c mixed green herbs chopped (mint, chive, scallions, parsley, cilantro, basil)

For the dressing: add all ingredients to a small mason jar and shake to blend

For the salad:

• Cook the orzo as specified on package. Drain & add to a medium salad bowl.

• Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2tsp EVOO. Add the asparagus and zucchini and lightly saute until just cooked through. Add to the salad bowl.

• Add all additional salad ingredients to the salad bowl.

• Drizzle with dressing to taste just before serving.

This makes a lovely picnic dish for all of those outdoor springtime meetups or on your own as a lunch on a park bench. It hits all the right notes - rich earthy wheatiness with the orzo, bright nutrient-dense greens & lovely hints of seasonal sour with the pepperoncini, olives and cheese.

Enjoy!