The Taste of Summer

There are a few very special recipes that I just HAVE to make at certain times of the year. Honey calls them signature dishes and there is one that I have to make in the summertime because when you are eating Orzo with tomatoes, feta, and green onion, you can just close your eyes and taste the warm air and sunshine. There is something about the combination of tomatoes and basil (both fresh from our garden) that absolutely takes my breath away.

I haven't made this dish since we started our weight watchers journey because when I figured out the points, it was about 11 points per serving. Too many. Last week, though, I sat down with the recipe and my points calculator, determined to figure out a way to make it work for us. With a few little substitutions, I brought the points from 11 to 8 and, long story short, we had it a couple of night ago and it was delicious. Here is the recipe and here is a brief summary of the changes I made to bring it down a bit...

• reduce the oil in the vinaigrette from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup
• substituted chicken broth with veggie broth (not sure if this makes a point difference, but I am a vegetarian)
• used Athenos light feta (the small crumbles)
• reduced the 1/2 cup pine nuts to 1/4 cup

In all honesty, the flavor was slightly 'lighter' then the original recipe, but it still comes in as one of my top 3 recipes of all time. All time! If you can do the 11 point serving, though, go for it!