Grain and Chick Pea Salad Salad

Here’s an easy summer salad — main dish or side dish. Make it ahead (but don’t add the dressing until about 15 minutes before you serve it).

Any whole grain will do. I like farro the best so I usually make it with that, but have also used freekeh, barley and wheatberries. All good!

FARRO AND ROASTED CHICK PEA SALAD

• 1 can chick peas (15 ounces)

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, approximately

• Salt to taste

• 1 cup farro

• 2 cups water

• 3-4 scallions, chopped

• 1 avocado, peeled and diced

• 2-3 tablespoons wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• salt to taste

• Aleppo pepper, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drain the chick peas and place them on a baking sheet. Pour 2 teaspoons olive oil over them and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 20 minutes or until crispy and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool. While the vegetables are roasting, place the farro and water in a saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 25-30 or until the grain is tender, but still chewy. Let cool slightly and place in a mixing bowl. Add the chick peas, scallions and avocado and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss the ingredients. Pour in the wine vinegar, add the parsley, mint and cumin and toss the ingredients again. Season to taste with salt and Aleppo pepper. Stir in more olive oil and/or wine vinegar if you wish.

Makes 6-8 servings

Kale, Farro and Avocado Salad

Need a good side dish to go with everything else you might be cooking? Try this whole grain salad. I love it with farro but any whole grain will do (barley, brown rice and so on):

KALE AND GRAIN SALAD

• 1 cup farro (or 3 cups cooked whole grain)

• 2 cups water (for uncooked grain)

• 3 cups chopped fresh kale

• 1 avocado

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• juice of one large lemon (about 3-4 tablespoons juice)

• 1/3 cup chopped marcona almonds

Place the farro and water in a saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the farro is tender but still chewy. Drain any water that has not been absorbed. Place the cooked farro in a large bowl and let cool. Add the kale and toss the ingredients. Cut the avocado into small chunks and add to the salad. Add the mint. Pour the olive oil over the ingredients and toss to distribute them evenly. Pour in the lemon juice and toss. Add the almonds, toss once more and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Chicken Freekeh Salad with Mango, Dates and Pistachios

I’ve always loved the Fancy Food Show, not just because the eating is swell, but because I enjoy seeing what’s current in the food world and what manufacturers have come up with in the last year.

Trying out something new is always an exciting prospect as far as I am concerned.

And yet, for me, two of the show favorites this year were old timers that have become staples of my kitchen: freekeh and dried dates.

While freekeh is familiar at our house, I do realize that it isn’t exactly as well-known as most other grains. If you haven’t heard of it or haven’t tried it, I heartily recommend it. Freekeh is a whole grain that fills in for well-known starches such as white rice, noodles and potatoes, but is much lower on the glycemic index than those ingredients. It also has lots of fiber and protein and is a good source of calcium and iron.

It’s a variety of wheat, so it is NOT gluten-free.

There are several brands available in supermarkets and online; I tried some from Freekehlicious, which sells both whole and cracked freekeh. They sent me home with a sample of their soon-to-come freekeh pasta. (Haven’t tried it yet.)

Freekeh is nutty and toasty tasting. I love it plain and hot with a squirt of olive oil, and also cool, for salad, like the chicken salad recipe below (that includes freekeh, mango, nuts and a citrusy vinaigrette).

Dried dates are like candy— sweet, chewy and indulgent. I frequently snack on them late in the afternoon though sometimes I cut them up into my breakfast yogurt.

I have always bought Medjool dates, but at the Fancy Food Show I tried several other varieties, including safawi, saggae and sukkary at the Sahara Date Company booth. I’m convinced. If I see these in my supermarket, I’m going to be a buyer.

Because dates are so naturally sweet, they’re a good fit with tangy, citrusy and acidic ingredients. So they work harmoniously in this chicken salad too.          

Chicken Freekeh Salad with Mango, Dates and Pistachios  

• 1 cup wholegrain freekeh (or use some other whole grain)

• 1-3/4 cups water

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken

• 1 cup chopped dates

• 3/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

• 4 chopped scallions

• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, preferably flat leaf

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoon mango juice or orange juice   

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the freekeh and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, stir, cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30-35 minutes or until the grains are tender but still somewhat firm and all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Place the cooked freekeh in a bowl. Add the chicken, dates, pistachio nuts, raisins, mango, scallions, parsley and mint. Toss ingredients gently to distribute them evenly. Combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mango/orange juice and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Farro Salad with Carrots, Peas, Tomatoes and Dill

Farro is becoming trendy. So says this article, which I read recently.

Actually, farro has been pretty popular in my house for the last several years. It’s one of those whole grains, you know, the stuff everyone says is so healthy, full of fiber and nutrients and so on.

It’s popular with me because it tastes so good and because there are so many things you can do with it.

I first cooked farro because I was getting bored with white rice, brown rice, black rice, red rice and every other kind of rice. And with pasta, potatoes and egg noodles. And there’s been an overload of quinoa recently too.

But I wanted something filling and “starchy” as a side dish with dinner. 

There was this little bag of farro in the store. It looked intriguing. I decided to give it a try.

SUCCESS! Farro is sumptuous and tastes sort of nutty and toasty.

I’ve made it dozens of ways, treating it just like rice: steamed, poached, sauteed, in pilaf. Plain. With vegetables. As a salad, drizzled with vinaigrette.

Every recipe is terrific.

Some say farro is the same as spelt, but it is actually a different, if similar grain. It is also a lot like wheatberries and oat groats (so you can substitute those in recipes). Farro is sometimes called emmer wheat. 

Do try it. You can use it all summer in a salad and all through the year in other ways.

Here’s one recipe we love at our house. 

Farro Salad with Carrots, Peas, Tomatoes and Dill

1 cup farro

1-3/4 cup water or vegetable stock

2 carrots, chopped

1 cup thawed frozen green peas

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the farro and water in a saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the farro is tender, but still chewy. Set the farro aside to cool slightly. Cook the carrots in boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain and add to the farro. Add the peas and tomatoes and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. In a separate bowl or a jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, dill and lemon peel. Whisk the ingredients until well combine (or shake in a covered jar). Pour into the farro mixture and toss the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4-6 servings