Orzo Pasta Salad
Makes about 12 servings
Great Holiday Side Dish
Here is what you will need:
16 ounces of orzo pasta
2 sweet potatoes
4 to 5 cloves garlic
2 onions
1 to 2 TBS of ginger
1 bunch Swiss chard or Kale or combination of both
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
4 TBS reduced sodium soy sauce
vegetable oil
salt
shaved Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for serving (optional)
Prep your food. Peel and dice sweet potatoes, grate garlic and ginger, chop onion and rinse, stem and chop Swiss char. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is barely al dente, about 6 minutes. You don't want to over cook it because your salad will be mushy! When pasta is done, drain and run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Drizzle a little oil over the orzo to keep it from sticking.
Heat a couple TBS of oil in a very large skillet over medium high. Place sweet potatoes in single layer in pan and roast for about 4 minutes, they should start to caramelize.
Then flip them over and cook the other side. Keep cooking them around the pan until they are soft. Remove from pan and set aside in a large pot.
Add some more oil to the pan, turn down the heat and add the onions, cook until they are soft and translucent. Season with a little salt.
When they are just about done, add in the garlic and ginger and stir in for one minute.
Add the onion mixture to the same pot as the sweet potatoes.
Add a little more oil to the pan and place Swill chard into the pan.
Cook until the char has wilted down. Mix together the soy sauce, a TBS of oil and vinegar and add it to the pan with the char in it, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the char into the pot with the potatoes and onions, then add in the pasta. Toss well.
If you want, before serving toss in fresh chopped parsley and some fresh grated cheese! Serve warm or at room temperature.