My earliest memories of food preparation are of time spent beside either my mother or grandmother in the kitchen. Those memories are the foundation of my connection to and love of food, especially preparing food. My connection to food grew stronger and richer as we harvested food from our garden together. Three generations of us picking strawberries, green beans, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and corn, to name a few, to be prepared for a meal or preserved to be eaten later. These memories are part of my culinary history and the journey that led me to become a registered dietitian nutritionist and ultimately back to sharing my love for food preparation through The Kitchen Transition.
While the recipe I’m sharing this month is not one our traditional family recipes, it’s one of my newer favorites.
Farro & Bean Salad Bowl with Honey Lemon Dressing
Salad Ingredients
1/2 cup farro, rinsed
1 1/4 cup water
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch sticks
2 shallots, cut into strips
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz.) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
5 radishes, sliced
1 small English cucumber, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
Note: Orzo could be substituted for farro.
Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 clove garlic minced
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
pinch of freshly ground pepper
pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1 1/4 cups of water to a boil. Add farro and reduce heat to simmer. Add a lid to the saucepan and let farro simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
Add a small amount of water if needed.
Prepare carrots and shallots, toss with olive oil to coat, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss with oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bake until carrots are tender-crisp and shallots lightly brown on the edges, about 20 minutes.
Prepare remaining vegetables while carrots and shallots are roasting. Toss farro, roasted carrots and shallots, beans, pepper, radishes, cucumber and tomatoes in a large bowl.
Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour dressing over mixture and toss to coat.
Add spinach and feta cheese and toss to combine.
Yield: 6 servings
Merritt Bates-Thomas is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who has been sharing recipes with a healthier twist on WBKR FM 92.5’s What’s Cooking since 2017. In May 2023, she joined ABC 25 Local Lifestyles to share recipes and tips for flavorful cooking. She also appears on CW7’s Daybreak Extra’s Joe’s Kitchen and is a contributor to Kentucky Monthly. You can follow her on Instagram @thekitchentransition and now on Facebook at The Kitchen Transition.
