Garden Orzo Salad with Dill Vinaigrette and Shrimp - Early Weekend Recipe

I adapted this recipe I first saw by Bobby Flay.  It uses dill with mustard as a perfect counter point to salad and shrimp.  This light and tasty salad is a great way to use the grill this Labor Day weekend, but quick and simple enough to not burden you so you can enjoy the summer ending activities. Next month our theme is Quiche.

This September I have 10 programs in only 8 days, so a quick meal I can make ahead and pop into the oven is high on my list.  But first I am going to enjoy the three-day weekend!

Garden Orzo Salad topped with Grilled Shrimp

3/4 pound orzo
1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

Dill Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup dill infused herb vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

16 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
olive oil

Directions
Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and allow to cool.  Combine orzo, cucumber, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.

Heat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Divide orzo salad among 4 plates and top each with 4 shrimp. Garnish with additional dill.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails