Over the holidays I had the pleasure of hosting some amazing friends to ring in the new year. When deciding what to cook while entertaining we decided on making a quick and easy salad for lunch one day. We threw together our salad and it turned out fantastic. My friend turned to me and asked if it was a blog recipe and at the time, it wasn’t, just a plain ol’ lunch salad thrown together. But, such an occasion and such a tasty salad deserves a recipe, and so here it is, the New Year’s Farro salad!

A few things really make this salad come together, first and foremost is the shaved red cabbage. Recently, red cabbage has become one of my favorite salad ingredients. It brings a beautiful crunch & texture while also adding a vibrant pop of color. Another ingredient, which compliments the cabbage well, is the farro. The farro brings a chewy, earthy balance to the dish that ties it all together and helps to make it a hearty meal salad. 

As with all recipes on this blog, I hope you make your own adjustments to make this salad your own! Feel free to modify the proportions on any of the vegetables, this is a salad after all, not a French pastry! Following the ingredients listed below will make a large salad, enough to feed 2-3 people as a meal, so scale it accordingly! I hope you enjoy this salad and that it helps reel in a wonderful 2022, happy new year! 

Active time:

Cook time:

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups raw farro
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 garlics, pressed
• ⅓ cup slivered almonds
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ red cabbage, shaved
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• ½ cucumber, peeled & sliced into semi circles
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 8 oz leafy greens (arugula, spring lettuce, baby spinach)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 75g crumbled feta 

Directions

1. Begin by cooking the farro. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and add a few generous pinches of salt. Rinse the farro and add to the water once it is boiling. Turn the heat down to a medium and cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on the type of farro you have. Begin tasting at around 20 minutes, once it is chewy and cooked all the way through, strain off the excess water like you would pasta and set aside. 
2. While the farro cooks, begin preparing the rest of the salad. Make the dressing by combining the dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar and garlic and mix thoroughly to combine. 
3. Now we will toast the almonds. Heat a small pan on medium heat and add the slivered almonds to it. Toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the almonds have begun to turn gold and become aromatic. 
4. Prepare all of the vegetables as specified in the ingredients list and add to a large salad bowl. Add in the nutritional yeast, crumbled feta, the cooked farro, a few generous pinches of salt and a good bit of freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately!