Farro my new Favorite

Ha - told you I would be back! 

Where do you get your protein???? OMG isn't that one of the MOST HATED questions one gets being a vegan? That and the statement - well you are killing and hurting plants when you eat them. Really???
 As my reply goes "If I must explain to you that plants do not have a spine, a central nervous system, they do not feel pain. But I suppose I can understand why you say such a thing since you have a brain but obviously do not use it" - okay I just say that last part in my head, but I would love to say it out loud some day....so tempting.

So one way we get our protein - GRAINS - glorious grains....because we have a brain!

Eat your grains and grow your brain!

So, as I mentioned briefly, previously I finished my degree in Restaurant Management. My last class our Chef- "Chef K" said we would make FARRO- I never heard of it, and was very curious. We unfortunately never made it....so that put me on a mission....Experiment Farro.

What is Farro? It is a chewy, nutty grain. It is in the wheat family but doesn't have a high gluten content- but it has gluten in it if you have celiac, stay far far away from it. But for me, who is just sensitive to too much gluten - I was good to go! 

I bought my Farro from Trader Joes- It was - like instant farro since it cooked in a mear 10 minutes...and this is what I came up with as a recipe:

Carrot-Cumin Farro

(2 plus servings - more on the 3-4 small size servings)

Ingredients & directions:

Make according to package using the following as the liquid:

   1 cup veggie broth

   1 cup carrot juice

and use:

   1 cup farror

In medium saute pan heat:

   1-2 tablespoons olive oil

   5-6 carrots - grated

   1/2 medium onion chopped

   5 garlic cloves finely chopped

   Juice of one lemon

Saute for 8-ish minutes, until carrots are soft. During this time add:

   2 Tablespoons of Earth Balance Margarine 
      (is there any other brand??? I think not)

Add water when necessary (do not allow to brown)

Add:

   Cooked farro

   1/2+ cup of nutritional yeast

   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

   Salt and Pepper to taste

Fold together (fancy pants way to say combine)

Upon serving add finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Here is a photo montage:

Sauteing with Olive oil, carrots, garlic & onions:

 

Now let us add the delicious Earth Balance:

Adding the cooked farro and cumin:

Now adding the yummy nutritional yeast....who is addicted to this natural crack as I am???

Tah-Dah....done served with BBQ tofu and sauteed black kale.

Sorry about the sloppy plate, but it was a last second photo opt and I pushed all the food into a pretty presentation yet I forgot to clean the plate...I'm going to blame it on the vodka.

BUT....the farro looks like a glob of mush- but it isn't - it is so delicious (Even Goods, my husband, dug it!).   Next time I will use my newly purchased food molds to make it all pretty for you....but for now - just go make some farro for yourself!!

What I would do differently now that I am not a farro virgin???  At least for this dish, I would add some sauteed peppers - a variety of them...red, green, a jalapeno for a little kick. But how I truly see my next farro experiment - cheesy broccoli farro - and of course the cheesiness would come from the natural crack - nutritional yeast.

And it's time for me to say....farro-well!  (that is farewell in grain talk)