Farro, Broccoli, & Green Beans + Basil Vinaigrette

like a pasta salad, but healthier and tastier

I created this recipe when I needed to use up a surplus of veggies in my refrigerator and wanted to incorporate my favorite green dressing (I love it with salmon, but the recipe below is slightly different). Additionally, it needed to be something I could serve cold that evening after we got home from practices with no time to actually cook/prep anything. I made it mid day and we all enjoyed it that evening. When I had it the next day, I realized I loved the flavors even more but needed to add a little bit of oil as it had dried out a bit. Personally, I think it tastes great in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (with a bit of tweaking).

FARRO, BROCCOLI, & GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6-8)

Basil Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 Large Package Organic Basil Leaves (About 2 Cups)

1 Shallot

1 Garlic Clove

1 Seeded Jalapeno

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Olive Oil (+ More as Needed)

1/2 tsp Salt

Salad Ingredients:

1 Bag/About 3 Cups Organic Broccoli Florets

1 Bag/About 2 Cups Organic French Green Beans

1 Cup Uncooked/~2 Cups Cooked Farro

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup Pine Nuts

1-2 Avocados (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place broccoli on a large baking sheet. If some pieces of broccoli are large, cut them until they are bite size. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup olive oil (add more if necessary) and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, remove, move the broccoli around on the sheet pan with a spoon, and continue to cook until each piece has a little bit of char (5-10 minutes).

Prepare the vinaigrette by placing all of the ingredients in the blender and pureeing until smooth. You made need to add extra olive oil by the tablespoon for it to puree, but you don’t want to add too much and dilute the flavor.

Prepare your farro according to package instructions. In addition to the instructions, I add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 Tbsp of olive oil to add more flavor and prevent it from sticking to the pan. Drain and set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add 2 Tbsp salt followed by your green beans. Cook until JUST tender (about 5-7 minutes). Drain and cut into 1” pieces.

Combine the roasted broccoli, farro, and green beans in a large bowl. Add 1/2 of your basil vinaigrette, mix, and taste to see if it needs more salt or vinaigrette. If adding more vinaigrette do so in 2 Tbsp increments and with salt add in 1/2 tsp increments. I used 1/2 my vinaigrette the first day and added the remainder the second day for more flavor and moisture. If when you’ve added your vinaigrette it still feels dry to you, add olive oil 2 Tbsp at a time.

Serve warm or cold and top with pine nuts and avocado (optional) and eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner (it’s that good!).