Tuscan Farro and Bean Salad
Here’s a great example of what I call culinary architecture, which entails building on a great foundation. In this case, I’m playing off what Middle Easterners call tabouli, a wonderful salad with a fantastic fresh taste that’s incredibly easy to make (and impossible to mess up). The base of any tabouli is a grain, lemon juice, parsley, and mint. That’s our building block. Then we add the ornamentation, which always emphasizes both form and function. The beans create a complete protein, the pleasing crunch (and a whole bunch of antioxidants) comes from pepper, while olives add a little healthy salt. Like any powerful piece of architecture, it’s the combination of simplicity and tasteful elegance that makes this salad so enjoyable and memorable.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the beans, farro, bell pepper, olives, parsley, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Chill for 1 hour.
Step 2
Before serving, do a FASS check. You may need to add another pinch of salt or a dash of lemon juice.
Step 3
Serve with the feta cheese sprinkled over the top.
variation
Step 4
Play with the taste of this salad. If you’re a tomato fan, add 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes. If you’d like some more crunch, add 1/4 cup of diced celery. Get creative and have fun!
Step 5
If you have trouble finding farro or don’t have any on hand, brown rice or a wild rice blend makes a wonderful substitute.
Step 6
You can certainly substitute canned beans in this recipe. Use about half of a 15-ounce can and, as usual, drain and rinse, then refresh the beans with a spritz of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt.
rebecca’s notes
Step 7
This is a particularly nice vegetarian dish that provides complete protein while also being high in fiber and low in fat. Because of the low fat and high fiber content, it would appeal to breast and prostate cancer patients.
storage
Step 8
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
nutrition information
Step 9
(per serving)
Step 10
Calories: 255
Step 11
Total Fat: 11.1g (1.6g saturated, 7.9g monounsaturated)
Step 12
Carbohydrates: 32g
Step 13
Protein: 8g
Step 14
Fiber: 6g
Step 15
Sodium: 580mg
