A salad for all seasons

Summer may be over, but that doesn't mean you have to stop making delicious salads.  They're always welcome for lunch, as a side dish, or even as a main meal on its own or with some protein included.  And it's another great way to use up what you have in your fridge, freezer and/or pantry.  Hence, the name I gave it.

Taste as you go along with this.  If you aren't using marinated olives, you'll need something else, like extra virgin olive oil to make up for the "juice".  Use different spices if you want, although with the combination of ingredients I used here, I really like how the oregano compliments them.

Keep textures in mind, too.  Make sure you have at least one or two ingredients that give the salad a bit of crunch, like the onion and cucumber I used.  It's important to have that as part of the dish.

This recipe makes a LOT of salad, so this is perfect to bring along to a potluck or anywhere for a larger group.  Or, feel free to make it for your family...the leftovers will store well for about a week in the fridge.

Kitchen Sink Orzo Salad
1 box orzo, cooked, drained and rinsed well
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 cup assorted marinated olives, with juice
2 tablespoons oregano
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Cook orzo according to package directions.  Drain and let cool (if you run it under cool water, keep it BRIEF...you want to save some of the starchiness of it).  Combine with remaining ingredients.  Store in fridge or serve at room temperature.