Orzo: Mexican Orzo

So I bought my orzo early in the month, planning on doing a new variation of Pam Anderson's orzo recipe from How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart (again, I know). But then . . . suddenly it was May 31st and a Sunday and the last day a large amount of leftover Mexican-flavored chicken in our fridge would be edible.

So I went with Mexican orzo.

Pam Anderson's orzo recipe treats the short pasta like rice for making risotto, but without stirring. Orzotto. (I like that!) She uses more Italian ingredients, such as Parmesan cheese. But since I had a Mexican main course, I didn't feel like multiculturalism was the dish of the day. I substituted Cheddar (okay, fine, Cheddar is English not Mexican, sue me), parsley (because I had it on hand) and green onions (yay for my garden!) to make a creamy, Mexican themed "orzotto." I topped it with cilantro-lime chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes and parsley.

Yum.

Agave: refreshing fruit slush bowls

This recipe comes from my good friend Queen Emily. She served this to me once as a dessert while we were visiting her house, and I loved it!

1 pint of strawberries (I think?)
4 medium pink grapefruit
3 bananas
Agave to taste

Slice strawberries and banana into a bowl. Cut peel off grapefruit and section into supremes over the bowl, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl along with the sections. Squeeze the juice out of the leftover pulp into the bowl and discard the pulp. Add agave liberally to taste and toss. Divide into four Tupperware containers and freeze for 1-2 hours, or until mostly frozen. Enjoy!