A month ago, my husband, Scott, was on a business trip and he texted me a picture of a salad that he created from the company’s “fancy” cafeteria. Does your spouse/family/friends send you pictures of food too?

I say “fancy” because he remarked about how they offered scratch-made omelets and other breakfast meals, had a comprehensive salad bar, and cold-pressed fresh juice!

My former workplace had a small kitchen/eating area where we would bring lunch to store in the refrigerator if there was room… so not fancy, but functional.

Anyway, his salad had farro in it. I don’t remember what other ingredients were in the salad, but I’m 100% sure that it didn’t have corn, peas, or whole tomatoes in it. All the things I like, but he doesn’t. Sigh.

Since I was on a grains and greens kick (Check out my recipe for Baby Kale and Brown Rice Salad with Feta and Clementines), I decided to make a very simple vegan salad showcasing farro.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Farro and Spinach Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts!

What’s in this healthy salad?

• Farro: This grain is nutty, a little sweet, and wonderfully chewy,yet soft when cooked. Also, toasting farro for a short time brings out it’s nutty flavours even more. Plus, it’s good for you as it’s high in fiber and a good source of protein and iron. You can find farro in three forms:
  • Whole grain (farro integrale): it has all the bran intact and therefore the most nutrients, but also usually requires an overnight soak and is the longest to cook.
  • Semi-pearled (farro semiperlato): It has some of the outer bran layer polished off through a pearling process, but is the second fastest to cook.
    • I recommend using this type since it is still relatively fast to cook to al dente (20-25 minutes) and retains a good amount of nutrients.
  • Pearled (farro perlato): This contains no bran and is the fastest to cook.
  • Look for farro in the bulk food section or packaged in grocery stores, especially natural food or health stores.

• Baby spinach: It has a mild flavour and tender texture making it easy to eat. This leafy green is super healthy. For example, it’s an excellent source of vitamins A, K, plus folate and iron.
• Dried fruit: Tart and sweet. Look for dried fruit with no added sugar. I used dried cranberries and golden raisins. Other dried fruits that would be delicious in this salad are dried chopped apricots, cherries, or blueberries.
• Mixed nuts and/or seeds: Nutty and crunchy. I used a “trail-mix” variety of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), almonds, and cashews.
  • Walnuts, pecans, and pistachios would also make wonderful substitutes or additions to this salad.
  • In general, most nuts and seeds are a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, unsaturated fats (“good fats” that help lower bad cholesterol levels), fiber, and vitamin E.
• Dressing: Lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and sea salt is so simple, but packs a citrusy note that ties together the salad.

Overall, this farro and spinach salad is:

• Light and delicious
• Sweet and savoury
• Full of texture
• Quick and easy
• Great to serve warm or chilled
• Vegan too!

I hope you try this recipe! If you do, please comment and leave a rating down below. You can also connect with me on my social media by tagging me (I’m @yay_for_food on Instagram). I love pictures of food!

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