QUICK AND EASY BALSAMIC FARRO SALAD
20 Minutes from now you could be eating this delicious salad!
I took a survey of my 10 closest girl friends and asked them when it comes to health and wellness what are their biggest struggles or pitfalls. That might seem like a small sample size but thats what I got right.
The majority of them said something along the lines of time and not having enough of it to eat healthy. So keepin my ladies in mind I give to you this recipe. Its safe to assume that if that's a problem area for them it might also be one for you.
This salad is healthy, filling and gets better over night so its great for lunch the next day at work.
Think fiber rich farro, lycopene loaded tomatoes, mineral rich garbanzos, hydrating cucumbers, vitamin-E for healthy skin olives, bright herbacious basil, healthy fat olive oil. This hits all the major nutrients- protien, fat, carbs and fiber!
xo bye for now, C
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
3 Cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 1/2 cups Cups persian cucumbers, cut in fourths
2 Cups olives
1-15 Ounce can of garbanzo beans
8 Ounces (1 package) Trader Joes 10-minute Farro
FOR THE DRESSING:
1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Cup fresh basil, chopped plus more for garnish
2/3 Cups extra virgin olive oil
pink salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Start the Farro:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the farro and cook for 10 minutes, according to the package directions.
While its cooking start chopping the other ingredients and make the dressing
In a bowl or measuring cup combine all ingredients for vinaigrette. Mix vigourosly. set aside
Prep all salad ingredients: clean all veggies under running water, chop tomatoes in halve, cucumbers in fourths, olives in half and put in a large bowl. Rinse and drain chickpeas and set aside.
Pour the dressing over the tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. Let marinate.
Drain the farro and let it cool for about 20-30 minutes. Transfer it to a plate or baking sheet and spread out evenly so it cools quickly. Optional.
this is an optional step and obviously adds time on to the whole recipe but I think that it makes the salad better by not heating up/slightly cooking the veggies with the hot farro.
Add the farro and chickpeas to the bowl with the veggies and vinaigrette. Mix well to combine.
This is best if it sits in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to marinate but its optional. Its also great for a meal prep item as it keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.