Warm Farro Salad

Farro is an italian grain similar in shape and color to brown rice but richer in taste and texture. In recent years it has become much easier to find in grocery stores and is less expensive than 'fancy' wild rices. So I've been buying it like crazy! In fact, it's hard to go back to regular rice. So here is a warm farro salad that's makes a great accompaniment for roasted beef, chicken, or pork.

Free from dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, egg, and shellfish.

Ingredients
6 cooked servings of farro
1 red bell pepper
1 large zucchini
Several handfuls of fresh basil
1 tsp each of salt and pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil plus 1 tbsp for coating the veggies to roast
the juice of half a lemon
5 sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method
1. Chop the bell pepper and zucchini into 1cm cubes and toss lightly in olive oil. Roast on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper at 425F for about 15 - 20 minutes or until nicely browned on the edges.
2. Prepare the farro according to package directions. It generally takes under 20 minutes to cook
3. While the farro and veggies are cooking you can prepare the dressing. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, basil, lemon juice, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and sun dried tomatoes to a blender. Pulse until smooth.
4. While the veggies and farro are still hot, add them both to a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over top. Toss well.
Serves 6

Green Fiend

I'm a fiend for greens.

Yesterday my green-cravings were so intense that I just had to run out and buy as many interesting greens as I could find. The grocery store was closing and they were out of asparagus, the number one veggie I set out to buy. But it was for the best, because instead of throwing together a typical pasta dish I wound up assembling the beautiful soup pictured below.

Crispy pork tenderloin with spinach soup

What did I buy?
1 Bag of  Fresh Spinach
1 Bag of Radishes
20 Green Beans
1 Head of Endive
1 Lime
1 Green Finger Pepper
4 Medium-sized Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Carton of Rice Dream (Original Enriched)
Pork Tenderloin (pack of 4 slices, not a whole tenderloin)
All of this came to $14 and made enough food to serve 3 people
*I had some fennel in my fridge which I used for adornment but it can easily be left out. I also used The Keg Steak Spice which I already had at home. You can use any steak spice you may have on hand.

How can you recreate this dish?
1. Cut the potatoes into big chunks and boil until fork tender. I like to peel the skins off after they've finished boiling. Once they're boiled drain the water and set aside. Some will be used for the soup and some will be fried.
2. In a nonstick pan heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the pork all at once and fry until crispy. Then remove and cut into chunks. Take about 3/4 of the potatoes and cut into chunks. Toss both the pork and the potatoes back into the still-hot pan and allow them to crisp up together. At this point I like to add steak spice to taste, but this can be substituted for salt and pepper.
3. While that's frying you can assemble the soup. I say 'assemble' because it's a raw soup so no heat is required. Thoroughly wash about 5 huge handfuls of spinach and toss into a blender. Add a good helping of salt, 2 tbsp olive oil, the remaining potatoes (peeled) and the juice of 1 lime. Add about 1 cup of Rice Dream. Make sure it's the original flavor and not vanilla. I like to use the calcium enriched one. Blend until smooth. You can play with the texture of the soup to suit your liking. If you want a thicker soup add more potato and spinach. To thin it out add more rice milk. If you prefer your soup hot it can easily be heated up in a sauce pan. Your call.
4. Now for assembly. Spoon some soup into a large bowl and then dole out a good helping of pork and potatoes in the centre. Garnish with chunks of green beans, diced finger peppers, slices of radishes, leaves of endive, and a squeeze of lime juice.
5. Watch your guests faces as they transition from hunger to amazement.