Mediterranean Salmon & Orzo

Today was one of those days where I thought, “I’m really rocking parenthood right now.” Nobody argued, no one had a meltdown, no one fought me on naps, and we had fun—we did a bunch of fun stuff together and just hit that stride where we were all happy.

If you’re a parent, you know how magical these “perfect” days are. Plenty of times I think we all wonder why we ever traded sleeping in until 9 am and drinking our coffee in peace, for 7am wake up calls and the Paw Patrol soundtrack on repeat. I kid, but seriously, the morning when my toddlers are teenagers and I do get to drink my coffee in peace before they wake up again? That will be lovely.

But for now, it’s the early morning wake up calls. One thing that’s helped me infinitely in getting my head straight for a full day of “why” questions is getting a moment to myself—a walk, meditation, just 10 minutes to walk around the house and wake up before the chaos ensues! This particular morning, I’d gotten a nice long walk to myself, and damn, if you can squeeze that into your morning routine—it is life changing!

We walked to our favorite neighborhood spot, Honey Hill, and had a coffee and a chocolate chip muffin. Seriously, if you are in Denver and haven’t tried their cappuccino chocolate chip muffin, you’re missing out. Then we went to the park and played for an hour before I realized it was 12:30 and nap time was encroaching and we also had no groceries at home.

We picked up goodies for lunch at a market across the street, then walked home and had a picnic lunch on the patio.

After afternoon naps, we walked over to a street festival in our neighborhood where we caught up with friends we hadn’t in months. The kids ran around before we headed home for dinner, which is really what this post is all about.

I needed something quick, easy and delicious. This Mediterranean salmon and orzo dish came together so fast and was more delicious than Rob or I was expecting. Before fall is over and it’s too chilly to grill, I highly recommend this quick, healthy dinner! I apologize that this recipe is not super specific on measurements—if we’re being honest, I’m not a measurer—I go by look, feel and taste, but when in doubt, I always say go heavy on the spices!

Mediterranean Salmon & Orzo Recipe

Salmon:

• 3-4 pieces wild-caught salmon
• olive oil
• dried dill
• dried oregano
• garlic powder
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 lemon

Orzo:

• 1 cup orzo, cooked
• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, sliced
• 2 big handfuls cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• salt and pepper to taste

Broccolini:

• 2 bundles of broccolini
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

Drizzle salmon with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, dried dill, dried oregano, garlic powder and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the top. Heat grill and cook to desired doneness, we like it slightly rare in the middle so we go high heat for a short amount of time. I recommend grilling the broccolini as well and starting it a little before the salmon because it takes longer to cook than the salmon.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo and set aside. You can do this before you grill the salmon. In a sauté pan, heat some olive oil and when hot, add garlic, shallot and red onion. After a few minutes, add tomatoes and cook until they burst and are tender. Add orzo, a little drizzle more of olive oil. If your pan is really dry, you can add a few Tbsp of water. Combine and add herbs, feta and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve salmon alongside the orzo and broccolini—so quick and so easy! Part of what made it so fast is that I handled the orzo, while Rob grilled, so if you can split the cooking duties, go for it!

I hope you love this on as much as we did!

BTW, pumpkin coffee cake, and smoky lentil soup that’s perfect for fall.