Farro and Beet Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

I’m working from Delburne, this week – the town in rural Alberta where my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle live – aka. it’s our extended family’s meeting place. There’s something wonderful about visiting Delburne that consistently feels like a travel back in time to a place where you rarely see people on their iPhones and the food on your dinner plate came from the soil or a nearby ranch.

When I’m here, eating vegetables is easy since Grandma’s fridge and freezer are overflowing with the bounty from her garden. But, admittedly, eating a slice of Grandma’s homemade banana cream pie after dinner is equally as easy, too.  Case in point: last night.

Although the weather is expectedly cooler here than it is in LA, it’s still picnic weather and a good enough reason for me to enjoy this plant-based salad with my family.  And with Earth Day being tomorrow, it’s seems fitting to spend some extra time outside, soaking up the fresh air.

Farro and Beet Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

This plant-based whole grain salad features beautiful, well-rounded ingredients – Earthy beets and farro, creamy goat cheese, salty pistachios, and bright blood oranges. It’s the perfect salad for a springtime picnic!

Ingredients:

1 cup farro

1 bunch asparagus

3 large beets

1/3 cup shelled pistachios

1 (4oz.) packet goat cheese

dressing:

2 tablespoons blood orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Cook 1 cup farro with 3 cups of lightly salted water, until tender and water is mostly absorbed. Drain, and set aside to cool.

3. Wash and cut beets into quarters, and steam until tender. Allow to cool.

4. Wash and trim asparagus and steam until crisp. Allow to cool.

5. Remove skins from the cooled beets and cut into bite sized cubes; cut asparagus on diagonal into pieces.

6. Add farro, beets, asparagus, and pistachios to a large bowl and crumble in goat cheese.

7. Toss with dressing and serve.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.