Kale and Orzo Salad with Dried Cranberries and Feta

July 14, 2011 Heather Hands

I've spent the last week in Tofino, BC.

I'm now back in Seattle. It's rainy. What a surprise.

Two months ago, I signed up with a local food box program. My fridge is now {at all times} full of vegetables.

and beer.

and amongst a bunch of other things I wont mention, there's Kale.

I was curious how kale got into my fridge. My husband was like "ya, I ordered it. kale is awesome".

weird, right?

I've been thinking about kale for a couple of days now.

I'm pretty sure I have subconsciously classified it into the same category as eggplant. The {wow you look pretty. and now you're rotting in my fridge 2 weeks later} category.

Like seriously. What the heck do you do with this kale?

Can I cover it with chocolate and bake it?

I could make kale chips? Seems like that's what people are doing.

But wait. Why would I do that, when I've got a bag of salt and vinegar chips in the cupboard?

I could try to eat it raw.

Ew, no. bitter. tough. yuck.

I could fry it in lots olive oil. with salt and pepper.

Ya, that sounds good.

I could boil some funny rice-shaped pasta. Why? Because I can.

I could toss it all together with some almonds. Heck yes.

I could throw in some sweet, sour, chewy bits of awesome. Yes, I think I will.

hmmm, cheese. don't mind if I do.

not without salt and pepper and lemon juice. of course.

Wow, that was easy.

Kale is thick and chewy. Deliciously flavorful. Slightly bitter. and does a good job at absorbing the flavors of other food.

Wait. It's also extremely healthy. Bonus.

Chewy, crunchy, sweet, salty, bitter, colorful, healthy, salad. POW.

[Print Recipe]

KALE & ORZO SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES AND FETA RECIPE (yields 4 servings as a main)

Ingredients
1 cup of dry orzo pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of kale, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup feta cheese
½ cup almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the dry orzo pasta and boil for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain, rinse with cold water and set to the side.

2. Wash and dry the kale. Cut off the stems. Chop into small pieces. Saute with the olive oil, on medium to low heat, until soft. Approximately 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl combine the orzo, kale, lemon juice, dried cranberries, feta, almonds, and salt and pepper.