Beef, Chickpea and Feta Pasta Salad

Total time: 25 minutes
     Chock full of healthy foods: spinach, chick peas, herbs, feta and beef (yes, cheese and beef are healthy foods...) this salad really shouldn't taste nearly as good as it does.  You might want to make more - for leftovers!  You could use whole wheat pasta....

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup bite-size pasta, rigatoni, penne, 90gr, 3.2oz
• 1 flank steak, 10 - 12oz, 350gr, 12.3oz
• 1 cup chickpeas, 240gr, 8.5oz, rinsed, drained
• 3oz feta cheese, 90gr, 3.2oz
• 4oz spinach leaves, 115gr, 4oz
• 2 tbs snipped chives,  substitute 1 tbs dried chives
• 2 tbs snipped basil,  substitute 1 tbs dried basil
• 5 large fresh mint leaves, snipped,  optional
• 1 tbs ketchup, 15gr, .53oz
• 1 tbs soy sauce, 16gr, .56oz
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar, 15gr, .53oz
• 1 tbs olive oil, 13.5gr, .48oz
• 1 tsp chili powder, 2.5gr, .09oz
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Vinaigrette
• 1 tbs ketchup, 15gr, .53oz
• 2 tbs Balsamic vinegar, 32gr, 1.1oz
• 2 tsp Soy sauce, 10.6gr, .37oz
• 4 tbs good olive oil, 54gr, 1.9oz
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder

 Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.  When done, drain and put into a large serving bowl.
• Mix ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, chili powder and oregano for marinade.
• Pour marinade over steak and let marinate.
• Wash spinach if needed and tear leaves if large.
• Drain and rinse chickpeas.
• Cut feta into half inch cubes (1.25cm.)
• Cook steak on barbecue grill or quickly sauté in nonstick skillet on stove.  Either way cooking time is 3 - 4 minutes over medium-high heat.
• Remove and let rest.
• Add herbs and spinach to pasta.
• Add vinaigrette and toss well to coat.
• Slice the steak at a diagonally across the grain.
• Add steak to pasta along with chickpeas, stir.
• Add feta and stir gently, just to combine.  Serve.
• Vinaigrette
• Put all ingredients in small bowl and whisk well to combine.

Note:  If using dried herbs rather than fresh add them to the vinaigrette.

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Nutrition Information               Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:  2209 / 1104.5 Total Carbohydrates:  139 / 69.5           Dietary Fiber: 20 / 10 Total Fat:  134 / 67          Saturated Fat: 40 / 20 Cholesterol:  298 / 149 Protein:  114 / 57 Calcium:  712 / 356 Sodium:   3849 / 1924.5

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale
and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/