Whole Grain: Farro & Balsamic Farro Salad Recipe

I’m a sucker for trying different kinds of whole grains. So when I saw a bag of Farro when I was at Costco the other day even though I had never heard of it before I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. It turns out that Farro is an ancient type of wheat that is now regaining popularity in Italy and with health conscious cooks. It’s great in soups and salads and can be used in place of barley or rice. This was my first attempt at cooking Farro. I found that there was still quite a bit of water left in the pot when I cooked it according to the package directions (3 cups water to 1 cup Farro for 15 minutes), so I cooked it a little longer and ultimately drained it. After some internet research, I found out this is actually normal. Unlike rice all the water is not supposed to be absorbed when it’s finished cooking. It’s chewier than rice but it did soften a bit after the salad had sat in the fridge overnight. Trying a grain all by itself is kind of boring so I put together this salad which I think is pretty good.

Balsamic Farro Salad Recipe

Dressing
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
1 tsp. dried thyme
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper

Salad
1/2 cup mild onion diced (red onions, shallots, chives, green onions)
1 yellow or orange pepper chopped finely
2 medium tomatoes chopped and seeded
1 diced avocado (coat in lemon or lime juice if you’re not using the salad all right away)
1 cups farro (Cooked barley or brown rice can also be substituted.)

Cooking with the Kids

The kids can:

• Pour the Farro and water into the pot
• Scoop the avocado out of the peel (if you halve and score it first)
• Put the chopped vegetables into the bowl
• Measure and pour
• Mix the salad ingredients together (using your hands is fun)

Directions
1. Cook Farro according to package directions (they should be al dente when done)
2. Chop onion, tomatoes and peppers.
3. Add all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl mix dressing ingredients.
5. Add dressing ingredients to the salad ingredients and mix well.

Per serving (1/8 of the salad): Calories – 172, Carbs – 23g, Fat – 7g, Protein 5, Fibre – 4.