Recipe: Orzo Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon and Roasted Vegetables

With as cold as it has been, I need something to remind me that Spring is coming, and with it comes sunshine and planting in the garden.  The garden brings a bounty that makes me wish Summer will never end.  I need brightly colored food loaded with vegetables to get me through the winter doldrums.  If you can relate then you will love this Mediterranean inspired Recipe.  I have used ingredients that you should be able to find even in the dead of winter.

This is what I need! Sand, Sun and Surf...better than Snow, Snow and Snow!

Feel free to play around with the vegetables that you have on hand. Just be sure to cut them and cook them in bite size pieces. Although it is not my favorite vegetable you could just as easily add Eggplant.

*If you are shopping within 100 miles you may want to omit the cucumber from the dressing.  That is fine, it will still make a lovely dressing.  You can add mint or basil for added flavor if you wish instead of the cucumber.

Tastes Like... Calabaza

Last year I wrote about how to cook and puree a pumpkin for making pies, muffins and soups.  This year when we ordered Calabaza from the produce stand we really had no idea what we would get.  The literal translation of Calabaza is Squash.  

In English we usually refer to the different squash by their common names; pumpkin, zucchini, crook neck...  So my Calabazas arrived and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that they looked similar to what I call Baking Pumpkins, just more colorful.