Farrolicious!

   This vegetarian thing is going better than we thought. I was worried that we would miss meat, crave some turkey sandwiches or chicken, but so far we are really liking this new lifestyle. It's also fun to come up with new recipes that are creative, nutritious and vegetarian. Recently I really like to cook with farro - a delicious grain belonging to the wheat family. I find it kind of ironic that I love it so much, because I remember feeding it to my grandma's chickens when I was a kid... I know you can make flour out of it, but I would never think of eating the grain itself. And now look at me...I'm cooking it at least couple of times a week. You should try it, its not only delicious, but also really good for you. Check out this farro salad with roasted mushrooms, goat cheese and cranberries.

Ingredients:

*  2 cups dry farro
*  8 oz baby portabella mushroom
*  4 oz goat cheese
*  3/4 cup dried cranberries
*  4 oz walnuts, chopped
*  1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
*  1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
*  2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut in 4 pieces, leaving the stems in. Place on a baking, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, toss to coat, and bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of mushrooms). Set aside to cool down.
2. In a deep pot, cover farro with cold water (at least 3-4 inches above the grains), add a pinch of salt, bring to boil, reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes or until it's soft. Drain and set aside to cool down.
3. In a bowl combine cooked farro, roasted mushrooms, crumbled goat cheese, cranberries, walnuts, herbs and balsamic vinaigrette. Mix everything together, season with some salt if needed and its ready to serve.

   I told you it was delicious! Creamy goat cheese, paired with sweet and tangy cranberries gives this salad a nice touch. Meaty mushrooms gives it some "body" and fresh herbs bring everything together. It's only one example of using farro, but it's definitely one of the best!

Enjoy,
Magda