Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Two easy, weeknight meals - Farro














You wake up early, race to work, work all day, hit the gym on your way home, run the dogs outside as soon as you get in the door, and then, just as you realize how excited you are to actually sit down an relax for a moment, you think, what the hell am I going to make for dinner?

We're all in the same boat and I'm seasick....


So to the rescue, two easy weeknight, vegetarian, and light dinners for you. I was lucky enough to stumble across both of these this week. The pasta I was actually able to make in great time after teaching my Tuesday night class ( I don't usually get home until 8:30 or 9)

And both are from the lovely Martha Stewart Living. God I love that lady.... I've got my eye on these treats for Valentines day...

First off is this sweet potato and farro salad. I'm normally against salads for dinner...not filling enough...even a grain based salad like this....BUT farro surprised me. I've never actually eaten farro before this week. Did you know that farro is the oldest cultivated grain in the WORLD? You know it's got to be legit if it's still around and able to be made DELICIOUS. It's slightly high calorie, but it has twice the protein and fiber of wheat, so it fills you up without weighing you down.














*Note: If you use bulk farro (or "regular" farro), this recipe could take up to an hour to make, as farro can take a whole 30-35 minutes to cook. I picked up some 10-minute farro from Trader  Joes to speed along the process, and the whole recipe took about 30 minutes.

A few more notes: Don't waste your time peeling the skins off the potatoes. They are nutritious and delicious. And don't skimp on the sprouts. I was able to find radish sprouts at my grocery store. They're tiny, but the pack a big bite. And an awesome contrast to the sweet potato.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad


Here's what you need:
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (4 medium...I used 3 and that was plenty), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
5 T extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and pepper
1 c. semipearled farro (7 ounces)
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. lightly packed fresh dll, chopped
1/2 c. radish or arugula sprouts or baby watercress















Here's what you do:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and garlic on 2 rimmed baking sheets and drizzle with 3 T olive oil. Season wth salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread into a single layer. Roast, flipping once, until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your farro according to package directions. Drain and toss with remaining 2 T olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt.

When cool enough to handle, remove garlic from peels and mash with lemon zest and jice in a small bowl. Add garlic mixture, sweet potatoes, dill, and sprouts to farro; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with sprouts.














If farro's not your deal, try out this quick lemon, parsley, parmesan, and pasta recipe.  The parsley and olive oil makes a bit of a parsley pesto. Personally, I think this recipe asked for a bit too much olive oil, it was puddling in the bottom of my pot. I replaced half of the extra virgin olive oil with a tuscan olive oil from Oh Olive (on Armitage in Lincoln Park) that added some extra flavor to the dish.


XOXO!





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