We've been eating a ton of chick peas lately in all forms: I snack on them, I roast them, I make hummus with them. I'm usually super organized when it comes to groceries and know when to restock staples but every now and then I'm taken by surprise and discover that we're out of things like paper towels or low on milk. Today I opened the pantry expecting to find at least one can of chick peas for a salad that I had in mind to prepare. No dice.

I proceeded with my recipe plan anyway and swapped raw sliced carrots for my missing chick peas. Wow. That crunch! The color! Frankly, I forgot all about the chick peas and have a sneaking suspicion that I'm about to dive head first into a carrot kick. I've been getting weekly organic produce deliveries from a company called Urban Organic and for several weeks now, one of the many delightful things that I receive is a pound of beautiful carrots. My most recent box also included some fresh fava beans that I haven't a clue how to deal with, but that's a story for another day. I peeled the entire pound of carrots so they're ready for immediate snacking.

This salad has summer written all over it. The raw baby kale leaves are softened by added lemon juice and olive oil and the chewy texture of the farro next to the crunch of the carrots was delightful. I added fresh mint, cilantro and red onion and will probably finish it in its entirety before long. In the meantime, the chick peas, while delicious in so many things, were not even missed in this recipe.

Kale and Farro Salad with Mint and Cilantro

6 ounces raw baby kale, thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 cup cooked farro
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of cayenne (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss well to make sure lemon juice and olive oil are evenly distributed. Enjoy!