Picnics and potluck dinners are not complete without pasta salad. Filled with sweet grapes, crunchy pecans, and a light dressing, this version saves you calories without sacrificing flavor. You can substitute your favorite pasta for the orzo, or use brown rice or whole-grain couscous.

Yield: 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked orzo pasta
• 1 cup halved seedless red grapes
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted pecans
• 3 green onions, whites, and greens thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Combine the pasta, grapes, pecans, and onions in a medium-sized bowl.
2. In a small dish, stir together the mayonnaise, yogurt, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic powder. Stir well, until the sugar begins to dissolve.

Pour the dressing over the pasta and stir to coat all of the ingredients. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.