Toasted Farro and Warm Vegetable Power Bowl
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The beauty of using a bowl for your meal is that you can build something that has interest, texture and freshness. This recipe for Toasted Farro and Warm Vegetable Power Bowl is a great place to start. You could also make it as a dish-to-pass salad instead.
The base of this recipe is farro, which is toasted to bring out its nuttiness. It’s an ancient grain that’s nutritious and loaded with fiber. It makes a perfect pairing for the many vegetables included in the dish.
Cutting the Vegetables
Along with the farro, this is chock-full of good-for-you vegetables. Cut them all up first before you start building the bowl.
Start by finely dicing a red onion, using a 7-5/8″ Petite Chef knife.
You can use the same knife to mince the garlic, dice the roasted red pepper and remove the kernels from the corn cobs.
For tips on cutting corn from the cob, take a look at Cutco’s easy-to-follow tutorial.
To dice the cremini mushrooms, use a knife with a smaller blade, like the 5″ Petite Santoku.
The diced mushrooms are roasted before adding to the bowl, releasing their craveable umami flavor.
Blanch the asparagus before cutting it, so it retains its vibrant color and crunch. Then, use a 4″ Vegetable Knife to cut it on the bias into bite-size pieces.
The farro in its own right packs enough nutrition to call this a power bowl, but the addition of kale, another super food, really ramps up the nutrition.
Don’t be turned off by kale’s tough texture. It is massaged with a little olive oil and salt to soften the leaves, reduce its bitterness and release the chlorophyll to retain its brightness. It makes the kale more enjoyable to eat.
The Vinaigrette
The dressing is a citrus sherry vinaigrette. It’s made with sherry vinegar and citrus juice. I like to call it an upside-down vinaigrette since it’s higher in acidity because it uses more vinegar and juice, and less olive oil. The balance of the flavors leaves it very light and bright.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the sherry vinegar, citrus juices, honey, Dijon mustard, P.S. Flavor!™ Creole Kitchen and Citrus Spice seasonings and then drizzle in olive oil while whisking to emulsify.
The secret to the vinaigrette is to get it on to the warm grains right as they come out of the pan. The grains are still somewhat open so they really uptake the vinaigrette. You’re not actually dressing the grain, rather infusing it with that vinaigrette.
I serve this Toasted Farro and Vegetable Warm Power Bowl as a dish-to-pass salad or make as an individual bowl as a meal. It’s delicious, nutritious and so easy to make. I have no doubt you’ll want to add it to your recipe roundup.
Ingredients
For the citrus sherry vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon P.S. Flavor!™ Creole Kitchen or Creole seasoning of choice
- 1 tablespoon P.S. Flavor!™ Citrus Spice or lemon zest, kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the power bowl:
- 1 cup farro
- 1 teaspoon P.S. Flavor!™ Creole Kitchen or Creole seasoning of choice
- 2 cups mushroom broth or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 sweet yellow corn ears, kernels removed (about 2 1/2 cups corn kernels)
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, diced and roasted, additional for garnish
- 1 cup asparagus, blanched and cut on bias into 1-to 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup jarred roasted peppers, diced
- 2 cups fresh shredded kale, massaged with olive oil and kosher salt
- 1/2 cup dried red tart cherries
- 1/2 cup Marcona almonds or pistachios, toasted
- Citrus Sherry Vinaigrette
- 1 cup feta cheese, small diced
- Chopped herbs or microgreens, for garnish
- Sprinkle of P.S. Flavor!™ Citrus Spice or lemon zest, kosher salt and black pepper, for garnish
Directions
- Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the sherry vinegar, citrus juices, honey, Dijon mustard, Creole and Citrus Spice seasoning then drizzle in olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Adjust seasoning and honey to taste.
- Make the farro bowl. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast farro until toasty brown and fragrant. Add Creole seasoning, broth, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to a simmer and cook for 18-20 minutes until just tender but still al dente, and most of liquid has absorbed.
- Place cut corn in a colander and drain the farro over the corn to warm and soften corn.
- To assemble the salad, combine the warm farro and corn kernels, roasted mushrooms, blanched asparagus, roasted pepper, massaged kale, dried cherries and nuts. Toss with citrus sherry vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- To serve, either place in a serving bowl to pass or portion into bowls. Garnish with diced feta, mushrooms and herbs or microgreens. Sprinkle with Citrus Spice.
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