Lemon Tahini Orzo Salad
This summery salad is great for picnics, cookouts or a quick meal any time of day. The texture of is amazing with delicate orzo pasta, crunchy cucumbers and chickpeas plus hardy kale,tangy olives and cherry tomatoes. Each bite is bursting with different flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 2 cups baby kale chopped
- 2 cucumbers cut in rounds
- 4 tbsp parsley
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup kalamata olives chopped
- 1 eggplant sliced in 4 lengthwise for grilling
For Eggplant Marinade
- 1 tsp olive oil
- pinch salt
- pinch smoked paprika
For Crispy Smoked Paprika Chickpeas
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas
- pinch salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp olive oil
For Dressing
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 lemons juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the Chickpeas - Preheat oven to 400, toss chickpeas with salt, smoked paprika and olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Grill the Eggplant- Make marinade and coat each slice of eggplant then grill for 5 minutes each side. Let cool then chop into bite size pieces.
- Cook the orzo according to the directions, rinse, drain well and add to a large bowl.
- Add dressing ingredients to the orzo and mix well.
- Add baby kale, cucumbers, olives, cherry tomatoes, cooled chickpeas and eggplant, and parsley to the bowl with orzo and dressing and mix well. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust.
Nutrition
Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 14gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 205mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2808IUVitamin C: 54mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 3mg
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