Farro, Kale and Olive Salad

A powerhouse of superfood and fiber, this kale and farro salad is easy to make and full of texture! Creamy, crunchy, and chewy with notes of citrus. Make ahead for several days of a ready-made lunch. This recipe is vegetarian, easily vegan with a gluten free option. | Use Farro or Wheat Berries in this recipe. If using Wheat Berries, look for hard red winter wheat berries - they take longer to cook than Farro. If using pearled or semi pearled wheat berries, they won't take as long to cook as hard winter wheat berries - start checking these varieties at about 20 minutes. Cook until tender yet have a chewy texture.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Vegetarian

Keyword Kale and Farro Salad

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings -8 Servings

Calories 303kcal

Author Traci York

Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 C (210g) Farro or Wheat Berries (look for hard winter wheat berries) *See Note for GF Option
4 C (860g) Water add 1 C (215) more water if using wheat berries (add more water if needed to keep the grains covered)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 C (85g) Walnuts
6 oz (170g) Green or Black Olives 1 can, drained and pitted (I buy pre-pitted)
1/4 C Flat Leaf Parsley rough chopped
1 Bunch of Lacinato Kale about 15 stems
1/2 C Feta crumbled or diced (optional)
Ground Pepper to taste

For the Dressing:

2 Tbs Olive Oil I use California Olive Ranch
1 tsp Small Orange zested, about 1
2 Tbs Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice 1 small orange, I used a mandarine
1 tsp Lemon zested, about 1
1 Tbs Fresh-Squeezed Lemon Juice about 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp Stone Ground Mustard
1/4 tsp Sea Salt

For Garnish:

Wedges of orange and lemon for squeezing over salad.

Instructions

For the Salad:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Time for cooking either variety of grain can depend on age of grain.
For Farro: rinse the farro under running water. In a 4-quart saucepan add the farro, 4 cups of water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered. Test the farro, it should be tender, yet have a chewy texture. If needed, give them a little more time to cook. Drain off excess water through a strainer, then run cool water over the farro in a strainer. Strain well. Transfer into a large mixing bowl and cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes , stirring every 5 minutes or so as to cool it down quickly.
For Wheat Berries: rinse the wheat berries under running water. In a 4 quart saucepan add the wheat berries, pour in add 4 C water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour. Start checking the berries at about 40 minutes to see if they are as soft as you prefer. If not, keep them cooking another 15-20 minutes.
Pour off excess water through a strainer, then run cool water over the wheat berries in a strainer. Strain well. Transfer into a large mixing bowl and cool in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so as to cool it down quickly.
Toast walnuts in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cool then rough chop. Add to mixing bowl with farro or wheat berries.
Slice the green olives in quarters and add to mixing bowl along with the chopped parsley.
Destem the kale by removing the ribs. Roll all the leaves together and chiffonade into thin 1/4" ribbons. Place the kale in a large bowl (separate from the other ingredients), pour 2 Tbs of dressing (see below) over the kale, set a timer for 2 minutes, and massage the kale. This technique tenderizes the leaves. Add to the mixing bowl with all the other ingredients.
Add the feta to the mixing bowl.
Combine all the ingredients, mixing throughly, adding dressing every few stirs until all the ingredients are throughly mixed. Taste for seasoning adjustment.
Set a bowl of orange and lemon wedges along side the salad for juicing to enjoy extra citrus flavor.
Store in a lidded container for up to three days.

For the Dressing:

Add olive oil, zest, orange and lemon juice, mustard and salt to a small jar, lid and shake until emulsified.

Notes

GF Option: This salad is delicious with short-grain brown rice. Use same amount as indicated above for farro and wheat berries and prepare as indicated on package.

Nutrition