Green Bean, Farro and Chickpea Dinner Salad

My favorite grain is farro (it’s so nutty in texture!) but this recipe lends itself to whatever your personal favorite is: couscous, barley, quinoa, wild rice… endless possibilities. Based on a recipe found in Bonappetit July 2014 page 32.

Serves 4

12 oz green beans, clean and trim
1/2 cup farro *or other grain
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas *reduced sodium – drain and rinse
4 oz fat free feta *you may use full fat if preferred
2 TBS chopped fresh dill
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
Toasted Spice Vinaigrette – recipe below

Toasted Spice Vinaigrette

3/4 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fennel seed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

To make the Vinaigrette: Mix the coriander, cumin, fennel. Add the oil and vinegar. Whisk in the mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

To make the salad:

Cook the green beans in a pot of boiling, salted water for 3 minutes. Remove beans to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Rinse with cold water, drain well and set aside.

Put the water back on the stove, bring to a boil and add the farro, or other grain of your choice. Cook according to package directions. *I brought the farro to a boil the night prior to making this dish and then reduced to a simmer for 30 minutes. After I cooked the beans, I added the farro (from the night before) to the boiling “bean water”, cooked for an additional 5 minutes, reduced to simmer and finished cooking for 10 minutes.

Remove grain with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet to cool.

Add the cooled farro/grain to the bowl of green beans, add the sunflower seeds, chickpeas, feta, dill, lemon juice and toss. Now pour the vinaigrette over the top, toss again and serve.

Add an egg on top for additional protein.