Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Summertime Meal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Farro & Avocado Salad with Pistachios

June 21, 2024

When I received this recipe from the Anson Mills newsletter, I was keen on making it right away. I love farro and enjoy how it adds a toothsome texture and nutty flavor to dishes. Here it is paired with mildly peppery upland cress, avocados, and slightly sweet and salty pistachios. It’s a stellar salad that definitely deserves a regular place on your home menu.

I used upland cress found at Whole Foods for the greens. You can substitute the cress with pea shoots or any tender spring greens available to you.

This salad has an all-star cast. Crispy celery and pistachios, nutty, toothsome farro, velvety avocados and sharp, peppery upland cress makes this a most satisfying meal. Grilled sourdough bread makes this meal particularly special.

Farro & Avocado Salad with Pistachios

Recipe by Kiyo

Servings

servings

Recipe adapted from Anson Mills

Ingredients

Vinaigrette
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal)
few grinds of pepper
3 tablespoons mildly fruity extra virgin olive oil
Salad
1/2 cup shelled, roasted and salted pistachios, chopped
2 slender celery ribs, trimmed, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 tablespoons finely minced sweet onion
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked farro (see notes below)
2 containers GoGreen organic living upland cress, trimmed and washed or 3 ounces pea shoots or other fresh tender spring greens
thinly sliced radish for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil and set aside.
Fill a medium bowl with water and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Microwave until water just reaches a boil, stir to dissolve salt. Add sliced celery to the water for 10 seconds. Drain celery and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well on a paper towel.
Place avocado cubes in a medium bowl along with the minced onions. Toss with 1-2 teaspoons lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss upland cress or other tender greens with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Place the greens around the rim of a serving platter. Using the same bowl, gently mix farro with about 2 teaspoons of the vinaigrette. Spoon farro in the middle of the dish, spreading it out evenly towards the greens. Top with avocado cubes. Sprinkle the celery around the outer edge of the farro. Sprinkle pistachios over the cubed avocado. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the celery and avocado cubes. Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and serve. You may divide the ingredients using four individual plates if you prefer.

Notes

Cooking Farro: Follow cooking instructions noted on the package. Cooking time will vary depending upon the type of farro you purchase (pearled, semi-pearled, whole). Farro can be cooked a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze cooked farro for up to 3 months.

Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Sandwiches, Tofu, Vegetarian

Balsamic-Soy Marinated Tofu

July 20, 2023

Tofu can be controversial in some American kitchens. Not in mine! I saw a photo of this glorious tofu in Bon Appétit magazine and couldn’t pass it up. Writer and editor Ali Francis had this tofu in a sandwich she bought at a bakery and was immediately smitten with it. She contacted the bakery and asked for the recipe. Though she didn’t receive an actual recipe with exact measurements, they supplied her with an ingredients list which was enough to devise a very close rendition of the tofu dish she had fallen in love with.

The plan is a simple one. Grab a few ingredients, place in a Ziploc freezer bag, marinate, bake, eat.

My reliable Tofuxpress has never let me down after using it for more than 13+ years. There are many other versions that do the same job of pressing out the water. If you love tofu as I do, it’s an essential gadget to have on hand.

I used cubed tofu but you could also slice the tofu into slabs for sandwiches. Fresh cilantro can be switched out with parsley or dried herbs.

The tofu has been marinating for 16 hours and is ready to be baked.

The leftover tofu marinade is reduced and brushed over the tofu as it bakes.

Now that is some good-looking tofu. If you chose to bake tofu slabs instead of cubes, you can use them in a sandwich. Slather sriracha mayonnaise on a soft baguette, top with balsamic tofu, crispy lettuce, sliced cucumbers and cilantro sprigs.