With 2015 halfway over (OMG!!!), I am starting to feel like a complete failure at keeping to some of my resolutions. (As a side note – I try to keep my “resolutions” more vague and attainable rather than specific and depressingly unrealistic. Some may call this cheating, but I like to think of my resolutions more as goals to strive for instead of hard and fast points. It is more motivating for me to just “realign” with my established goal of “being healthier” when I fall off track instead of realizing that I will never, ever, ever attain that 20 pound weight loss resolution and then hit up the bakery to drown my sorrows in a cupcake loaded with buttercream frosting… Who’s with me on this one???!!!)
So, Rob and I had a two “resolutions” in common this year:
1) Work together as a team more often and less as opposing forces. This one can be difficult when you have two people with very strong opinions who both HATE to be wrong… I think we have made some good progress on this front, evidenced by the creation of this food blog. We have definitely been more open with each other regarding our goals and in trying to help the other attain them, even when they aren’t directly in line with the other’s vision.
2) Take better care of ourselves. This involves numerous things. The obvious ones are eating better and exercising more. (Duh – 90% of us need to do this and it just isn’t nearly as fun as sitting down with a gi-normous bowl of mac’ and cheese and binge watching House of Cards all night.) A less obvious aspect of taking better care of ourselves is trying to recognize when we are stretched too thin and then making an obvious attempt to scale back on things. Also, making sure we take time to do the things we truly enjoy instead of pushing them aside in favoring of tackling the things we HAVE to do.
Well, here it is at the end of June and I feel like I have made ZERO progress on the eating better/exercising front. (Here’s to making the next 6 months truly count!) Whenever I feel that I have indulged too much in the excesses that are so appealing, I try to make the following recipe. It makes me feel better about myself again and puts me back on track because it is packed with healthy grains, tons of protein, and has a great flavor to boot. It’s also easily customizable. You can enjoy it on its own as a side salad (it’s awesome for a BBQ/picnic accompaniment), put it in lettuce wraps for a healthy lunch or dinner, or stuff it in tortillas for a Southwestern influenced dinner. I have also added cooked ground turkey to the tortillas to make a variation on soft tacos. How have you been faring with your resolutions? Hopefully better than me!
Farro Salad with Edamame (adapted from the Black Bean, Edamame, and Wheat Berry Salad at Pompeian.com)
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of dried farro or wheat berries
- 1 cup shelled edamame (I used a frozen package and thawed it before using)
- 2 Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine, diced
- 1 can whole black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 small jalapeno (or ½ a large) seeded with ribs removed, diced
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Optional Add-Ins and Serving Suggestions: Feta cheese, Ranchero Queso Fresco, Cojita Cheese, Large butter lettuce leaves, Soft tortillas, Hot sauce
Directions:
On your stovetop, cook the farro according to the package directions. This takes approximately 50 minutes and can be done in advance. (If you cook the grains in advance, drain and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)
Drain the farro of any excess water and scoop it into a large mixing bowl. Let cool for a few minutes. Add in the edamame, black beans, tomato, red onion, and jalapeno and mix well. Pour the olive oil and vinegars on top of the salad and add in the garlic powder. Mix it well so everything is coated. Mix in the cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste. Personally I love to add in some feta cheese to give it a nice tang, but that’s up to you.
Now comes the fun part – serving! My favorite ways to serve this dish include as a stand alone side salad, nestled in large butter lettuce leaf wraps, or stuffed in soft tortillas garnished with extra cilantro, Cojita cheese, and hot sauce. Yum!
