I love caprese salad in late summer when the tomatoes are perfect and juicy and straight from the farm.  Or, in our case, some even come straight from the garden.  It's our first attempt to grow plants in soil filled with clay, and every so often Lily and I will walk down and have a little harvest.  The tomatoes never all make it to the kitchen because she immediately starts sneaking them right off the plant when I'm not paying enough attention.  She sinks her teeth into a big, dirty tomato and has such a look of joy on her face that I don't make her stop.  You've gotta eat a peck of dirt before you die, right?

Jake and I have recently been eating caprese salad almost weekly for dinner and have mostly stuck to the traditional format (tomatoes, mozzarella, salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil) but I was excited to try this recipe for a new twist.  The addition of orzo makes this more of a picnic salad that you would take with you to share with friends.  It adds some bulk and makes it more filling.  But I am still a bit of a purist at heart and ended up making the tomato/mozzarella to orzo ratio a little closer since those are the heart of the salad.  It would be fun to play around with it in the future and add marinated artichoke hearts.

This recipe comes from Laura's blog, Cooking with LT, which I was exited about because I don't think I've been assigned her blog for one of Sarah's swaps before.  It's so much fun to explore, and you better believe that I'll be making her gingerbread granola as we get closer to Christmas.  Drizzle some eggnog over it and you'll certainly be enveloped in holiday cheer!  4 months and counting, friends.  The year is flying by.

Orzo Caprese Salad

• 2 cups uncooked orzo (about 4 cups cooked)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook orzo in salted water according to the package directions.

Whisk the olive oil, agave, and lemon juice in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked orzo and toss to coat.  Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Source: adapted from Cooking with LT