Mediterranean Orzo

I have to give my sister credit for this one. She made this for our cousin's baby shower this fall and it was awesome. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's the type of pasta dish that you can't stop eating. For example, I just finished making the salad and was waiting for the oven to pre-heat for the rest of the meal to go with it, but I had this issue with continously coming back for a bite or two. Well, let's just say I probably ate more the of salad in passing by than I had with dinner.

My favorite way to eat this is right away while the ingredients are still lukewarm. But it's also great refrigerated. Just be warned, the longer you refrigerate this, the more likely the sun-dried tomatoes are going to bleed onto the pasta giving it dark spots (it still tastes the same - it just looks a little less apprealing).

Mediterranean Orzo

Pasta:

1 cup orzo pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. lemon juice (1 whole lemon, juiced)
1 1/2 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 t. sugar

Cook 1 cup orzo. Wisk together ingredients for dressing and then add it to hot, drained pasta. Let cool and then add:

Mix-Ins:

1/2 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 C. re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 can black olives, chopped
3 T. finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 oz. feta cheese