Lemony Rice and Orzo

https://youtu.be/c3k_j-Zx3rE?si=TVP5J9YtUwrGWLTi

What's for dinner?  That's the daily question.  It's not hard to think of the main event, but coming up with sides tends to be really hard - especially when you are working with a CKD eating plan.  Well, here's an easy, delicious, and very CKD-friendly dish.  This is Lemony Rice and Orzo and it's a recipe I reverse engineered from my favorite Greek restaurant.  This dish does require a little patience and during the first stages of cooking, you really need to stay with the pot.  I serve this with oven roasted chicken legs that have been marinated in vinaigrette dressing because both dishes take about 30 minutes from start to finish - so dinner comes out at the same time...BONUS!  This recipe serves 8! Oh, and the vinaigrette recipe is right underneath the rice recipe! Enjoy!

CKD Buddies  K+ 75 mg, PHO 14mg, PRO 3g

DASH Buddies:  1BR per half cup serving.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion (or 1/2 medium onion)

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup uncooked orzo

2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

4 cups of liquid; water, chicken broth, vegetable broth, a mixture of wine and either water or chicken broth...liquid

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon each black pepper, oregano, thyme, and parsley

the zest and juice of 1 whole lemon

Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil to shimmer.  Add onions and cook for a minute or two.  Add the garlic and cook a minute longer.

Add your rice and cook, stirring often, until it has turned white and is starting to brown, then add the orzo.  Brown these, stirring often but not constantly, until they turn brown - not dark brown, just a couple of shades darker than their normal state.  Basically, brown it just to the point where you are uncomfortable and not a second longer.  Burned wheat and rice are nasty and bitter and cannot be salvaged!

Next, add in your 4 cups of liquid and your spices.  I like to add a tablespoon of plant based butter to mine at this point.  This is optional, but it does make it taste more like the restaurant!  Bring this up to a good boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover and steam until the liquid is gone.  Once the liquid is cooked out, add the lemon zest and juice, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Der-Luscious!

Vinaigrette di Sparks:

50% olive oil

25% red wine vinegar

25% apple cider vinegar

1 clove of garlic per cup of liquid, minced finely

1 teaspoon of your favorite Italian Seasoning per cup of liquid