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)
