Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Anyone else eating their way through this quarantine? 😂 We've been playing tennis, kayaking and riding our bikes BUT we've also been making cooking tutorial videos.  While it's been super fun to experiment with this new way of sharing recipes, it's also been detrimental to my diet.  😬 Let's just say that I wanted to be absolutely SURE that the recipes that I posted were as delicious as I claimed they were. #thoroughcook

While it's been fun to taste test all of these new recipes, I realized yesterday when I put on my bathing suit for the first time this season, that I need to ease off the energy bites for a while.  So, it's salads and lean protein for our menu next week.  (Sorry, husband)  Maybe if I start making salad tutorials, it will encourage me to snack on lettuce instead of chocolate.  🥗😂

The key for me to stick to a more plant based diet is to make it interesting.  I can only eat a plain green salad with baby carrots for a couple of days in a row before I want to eat the plate instead.  A lot of times I'll add a warm protein like grilled shrimp or chicken to make my bowl of lettuce more enticing. 🍤I also like to shake things up with fresh fruits or grilled vegetables.  (Livin on the edge over here, people.) 😂

​A good helping of farro (a wheat grain) mixed into this green salad is exactly what this dinner salad needed to feel more like a meal and less like a side dish.  The chewy farro is delicious and I feel like it's grossly underutilized.  It's easy to make, it's a slightly nutty, wheat grain and it's healthier than white rice.  If you like it in my Farro Salad, you should try adding it to soups and stews. 😋

Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
1 cup farro
​3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
​1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups lettuce 
​1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
2 carrots, shaved
1/4 cup pistachios
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
​1/4 cup shaved parmesan

Combine farro and chicken broth in saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Drain.  

Combine oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper for dressing. 

Put lettuce, mint, farro, carrots, and tomatoes in a bowl.  

Add dressing and toss to combine.

Top with pistachios and shaved parmesan.  

I have been doing a lot more cooking than I normally do during this quarantine because all of the restaurants in Georgia have closed their dining rooms.  Restaurants are open for take out and drive through but I haven't really taken advantage of that service yet.  I want to know - Are you doing more cooking or ordering more take out food during the quarantine?  Who participated in the Great American Take Out Night?  

As a small business owner myself, I'm all about supporting the small businesses in town during these mandatory shutdowns, so I actually scheduled a couple of nights next week where we will be bringing dinner home from a local restaurant.  Now all i have to do is decided which of these amazing places we want to get take out from.  😋

​Ciao!

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