Orzo Pasta Salad

If your kid is in elementary school, it is a challenge to pack the lunch box. It always comes home unfinished especially if it is not cool enough. When questioned about the untouched lunch, I always got answers like,"no time to eat" or " I wanted to play". This becomes a major issue when they return home from school. With a hungry stomach that is low on sugar, we have to deal with tantrums or a very emotional child. To fix this problem and to encourage my daughter to eat her lunch, I engaged her in preparing her lunch. By allowing her to make choices regarding her lunch a major problem got resolved. Last week, she suggested that I make orzo salad for her lunch. It passed the "cool" test and has become one of her favorite pasta salad that was lunch box worthy. Here is how it was prepared:

Gadgets:

Big bowl
Saucepan
Spatula
Colander
Measuring cups and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife

Ingredients:

Orzo Pasta - 1 1/2 cups

Water - as recommended to cook the pasta

Salt

Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil - 1/2 cup

Cherry Tomatoes - 1 1/2 cups cut into halves

Black Pepper - as per taste

Garlic Powder - 1 tbsp

Pine Nuts - one fist full

Fresh Basil - a few leaves thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta as per the instructions in the cover. Wash the pasta in cold water and drain. 

2. Add the pasta to a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and give it a toss. 

3. Check to see if the salt and pepper taste is fine. Add the pine nuts and basil. Toss and serve.