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Whole Wheat Orzo Salad with Kale, Chickpeas, Lemon, and Feta

Whole Wheat Orzo Salad with Kale, Chickpeas, Lemon, and Feta
  • Category

    Breakfast

  • Cusine

    American

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat orzo, cooked according to package directions and drained well

salt for pasta cooking water

4 cups fresh kale, chopped

1 tsp. olive oil, for pan used to wilt the kale

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese

zest and juice of one large lemon

2 T white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. ground cumin

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil, add several generous pinches of salt and cook the orzo according to package directions, being careful not to overcook. Drain into a fine-mesh colander and let the orzo cool while you prep the other directions. If using a bunch of curly kale, cut the kale away from the stalks and coarsely chop. Heat the tsp. of olive oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium high heat, add the kale all at once and turn over until it wilts, not more than 1-2 minutes. Immediately put the kale in a bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients. Drain the garbanzo beans into a colander placed in the sink, rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears, and let beans drain until they are quite dry. Finely chop half a red onion, and crumble enough Feta to make 3/4 cup. Mix together the lemon juice, lemon zest, white balsamic vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper, and then whisk in the olive oil to make the dressing. When the orzo has cooled, add it to the bowl with the wilted kale. Add the garbanzo beans and finely finely diced red onion and gently mix to combine. Add dressing a few tablespoons at a time and gently stir until all the ingredients are well-coated with dressing. Gently stir in the crumbled Feta and serve. This did not keep especially well overnight in the refrigerator. Store the cooked orzo, drained garbanzos, chopped onion, crumbled feta, and extra dressing separately. When you want to make the second salad, wilt the rest of the kale and mix ingredients together.