Jewel Salad

In the intense summer heat, I was not in the mood for cooking or for eating heavy food and went looking for meal salads which required little prep. This one is easy, is good year-round, and doesn’t involve much cooking. It also makes a lot, so it’s good for a crowd or for leftovers. Farro has a slightly nutty flavor and is just as easy to prepare as the other grains, but has more protein and anti-oxidants.

This recipe is adapted from Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives (a course given by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America)

Yield 6-8 portions

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Farro

Salt to taste

½ cup cilantro, minced

½ cup mint, chopped

Scallions, about 2 bunches—1 cup thinly sliced white part, ¼ cup chopped scallion greens

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 can chick peas rinsed and drained

1 red pepper, chopped into ½ inch squares

1 yellow pepper, chopped into ½ inch squares

3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (I like grape tomatoes because they are bite sized)

1 persian cucumber or equivalent chopped into ½ inch squares

1 cup almonds or walnuts, toasted and roughly broken

6 TBSP red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1-1.5 tsp cumin seeds lightly toasted, ground or chopped 

½ tsp garam masala

6 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make Farro as directed on package and let cool
2. In a large bowl combine all other ingredients with cooled Farro
3. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

(Note, I toasted the nuts and the cumin seeds on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for about 5 min and roughly chopped them)

Enjoy!