Kale & Orzo Salad

Sadly I don't have any pictures of this salad, but there are so many things to love about it! For one, it includes kale, a difficult vegetable to eat raw due to its tough texture and bitter aftertaste, but one loaded with vitamins, fibre and other nutrients. Soaking the kale in lemon juice and chopping it in small pieces makes this a salad-lover's dream. This recipe includes everything under the kitchen sink, so you get a great mix of flavours as a result. I didn't have hemp seeds or sun-dried tomatoes, so I left them out this time. The salad was still deeeeeelish.

Adapted from: http://www.staradvertiser.com

Serves 8

• 5 cups kale leaves, stems removed
• 4 T lemon juice
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 carrot, sliced into thin 2-inch matchsticks
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t turmeric
• Pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup hemp seeds (optional)
• ½ cup toasted nuts, such as almonds or macadamia nuts
• 1 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
• ½ cup sun-dried tomato strips
• 2 T toasted sesame seeds
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cups cooked orzo pasta
• ½ cup feta cheese
• Flaky sea or kosher salt, to taste

Slice kale into thin strips, cutting crosswise. The result should be about 2- to 4-inch strips. Place these in a bowl with the lemon juice. Rub the juice into the kale and let sit for 2 to 4 hours in the fridge. Place sliced onions into a bowl with balsamic vinegar and let marinate for at least one hour.

Remove onions from vinegar and discard any liquid left at bottom of bowl. In large serving bowl, toss kale with onions, carrots, celery, oil, cumin, turmeric and pepper.

Add sunflower and hemp seeds, nuts, cherries or cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes, sesame seeds, sesame oil and orzo. Toss again.

Add feta cheese and toss lightly to disperse ingredients throughout the salad rather than leaving them sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Taste and add salt, tossing lightly to combine.