We baked a whole chicken for the New Year’s eve dinner with a few friends. They brought the orzo salad, and it just occurred to us that we could combine the two for a nice presentation on the table. Surprisingly, the combination worked really well! Here are both of these simple recipes.

Ingredients

Baked whole chicken

1. 1 whole chicken
2. 1 tsp rosemary
3. 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4. 1 cup yogurt
5. 2 tbsp tomato paste

Orzo salad

1. 1 lb orzo
2. 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3. 1 cup vinegar
4. 1/2 cup sugar
5. 1 tsp curry powder
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. 3-4 red and yellow peppers, chopped
8. green onions, chopped

Method

Chicken:

Mix yogurt, tomato paste, garlic and rosemary together to make a uniform seasoning mixture. Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove and discard giblets and neck from the chicken cavity. Rub outside of the chicken with the seasoning mixture and place in a deep covered baker (we used one from The Pampered Chef) lightly brushed with olive oil. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 ºC). Bake covered for 60 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and continue roasting for another 25 – 35 minutes. Remove chicken from baker about 10 minutes before carving. Serve with orzo salad (see below).

Orzo salad:

Cook orzo just like you would cook any pasta. Bring enough water to boil in a pot and add orzo. You can add a little salt and olive oil and stir well. Cook uncovered about 10 minutes or until orzo is soft. Drain and set aside.

In a second pot, mix olive oil, vinegar, sugar, curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir and heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Turn off the heat and let it cool down. Add cooked orzo, chopped peppers and green onions and mix well. Transfer to a glass bowl and let stand in a refrigerator for a couple of hours.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Here is another recipe by Rebecca Subbiah. She is a registered dietitian, freelance writer and a personal trainer. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccasubbiah and check out her very cute Chow and Chatter blog. She also runs Dietitian for Hire, a consulting company located in Winston Salem North Carolina offering Freelance Writing, Nutritional Counseling, Speaking Engagements and more.

Ingredients

1. Salmon fillets, I used Wild Alaskan.
2. 3 cloves of garlic
3. 1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro
4. salt and pepper
5. olive oil
6. lime juice to taste

Method

1. blend the cilantro, salt and pepper, olive oil, lime juice and garlic together.
2. spread over the salmon and pan fry with a lid on it about 5 minutes on each side
3. then when cooked add more of the glaze

©2009 Littlestomaks.com