My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!
Looking for a healthy weeknight meal that also makes awesome left-overs? This healthy big bowl dinner is made with Farro and is combined with juicy Shiitake Mushrooms and Sweet Bell Peppers.
I tried farro for the first time at a popular Mexican take-out place in NYC called Dos Toros. It’s similar to Chipotle in concept, but the ingredients and flavors are much better. As I was standing in line ordering a Burrito Bowl to-go, the person taking my order asked me: “Rice or Farro?”. I was a bit surprised and mumbled: “Sure, Farrah”. I decided to try something new.
From across the counter, the farro grain looked like brown rice but darker in color. It didn’t look mushy. It looked firm just like bulgur wheat.
When I tried farro, oh my! I was amazed at how good it tasted. It was soft but chewy at the same time. Kind of like al-dente pasta.
I was hooked.
Next time I was shopping at the grocery store, of course, I had to look for this amazing grain.
Farro is a whole grain like quinoa. It is a variety of wheat and, therefore, it isn’t gluten-free. When cooked, farro is similar to barley: it’s a bit chewy rather than mushy.
Farro is cholesterol-free and has very little fat, making it a very healthy grain for vegans. It’s a good source of fiber and has high iron content. One-fourth cup of farro contains 10 grams of iron. I’ll take that.
Due to all the benefits of farro, I thought it was a perfect substitute for rice or pasta to make my meals for the week.
In this recipe, we will be creating a farro salad of sort. We’ll add yummy shiitake mushrooms cooked with a touch of soy sauce, add sweet red bell peppers for some color, and add caramelized shallots to deepen the taste of our dish.
You can eat this dish hot or cold. The first day I made it I had it warm. During the next couple of days, I had it cold. When having it cold, I added a little bit of SimpleFit Tahini Dressing to add back some moisture to the dish. SimpleFit Tahini Dressing is very easy to make, only takes 10 minutes and you’ll have a delicious sauce to go with multiple meals. If you’re feeling fancy, you can make Creamy Avocado Dressing.
So, are you ready to make this awesome dish? Let’s get cooking.
If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to hashtag #simplefitvegan on Instagram!
- 1 cup farro
- 3 sweet bell peppers: red, yellow or orange, chopped lengthwise
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
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First, let’s cook farro. Rinse farro in a fine mesh sieve under cold water. Transfer to a pot and add water. Cover, bring to a boil. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 25 minutes. Taste the farro to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Farro should be soft, but chewy, and not hard. Once farro is cooked, drain through a sieve. Set aside.
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While farro is cooking, let’s roast the veggies. First, heat up a grill pan, add a little bit of olive oil and then the sweet bell peppers. Cook them thoroughly, stirring from time to time, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Note: You can heat up another pan to cook the rest of the vegetables to expedite the cooking process.
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Add a little olive oil and chopped shallots to a pan. Cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
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Add chopped shiitake mushrooms to the heated pan and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Cook shiitake mushrooms with soy sauce until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
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Combine all cooked ingredients: farro, sweet bell peppers, shallots, and shiitake mushrooms. Garnish with parsley.
Nutritional Information (for 1 tbsp): Calories: 437 Fat: 3.6 g Saturated fat: 0.1 g Carbohydrates: 84.1 g Dietary Fiber: 18.6 g Sugar: 4.2 g Sodium: 486 mg Protein: 17.4 g
My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!
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