Blood Orange Salad with Farro, Kale & Roasted Chickpeas.

We are officially obsessed with citrus around here. Blood oranges are available for 30 cents a piece at our local store right now, and we have stocked up over the past two weeks. In-season citrus is the only redeeming thing I can identify about winter today. As I type this, it is -11 below zero, with a -28 windchill. Thankfully I’m on my second day working from home and don’t plan to step outside until we reach a balmy 10 degrees tomorrow! Time to think warmer thoughts, like with a citrus salad.

I came up with this while thinking about how to use blood oranges in a farro dish, and it is similar to the Roasted Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad recipe from last month. Served with roasted brussel sprouts on the side {sliced in half, tossed with olive oil and salt/pepper, roasted at 375 for 20 minutes}.

Blood Orange Salad with Farro, Kale & Roasted Chickpeas
Serves two.

Salad Base:
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup farro
2 handfuls of kale {torn}
1 cup shredded chicken {I used rotisserie}
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Roasted chickpeas:
1 can chickpeas
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Dash of salt and black pepper

Blood orange vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1/2 a blood orange
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon spicy dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Toppings:
2 Tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
1 and 1/2 blood oranges, segmented {check out this tutorial from the Kitchn!}

How to~

1. Roast the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly with water and pat completely dry. Mix chickpeas with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees on parchment paper, stirring once after 15 minutes.
2. Cook the farro. According to package directions, with chicken broth.
3. Wilt the kale. When the farro is almost finished, add torn kale and stir, keeping the heat on low. Cover the pan for about 5 minutes to let the kale wilt.
4. Make the dressing and assemble. Add the roasted chickpeas and shredded chicken to the kale/farro mixture.Whisk the dressing and stir in.
5. Add toppings. Segment the blood oranges and sprinkle on the salad. Add goat cheese and extra salt/pepper if needed. Serve warm!