KALE, FARRO, & FETA SALAD

Well, I am finally at the point where my mom and grandmothers wanted me to be when I was younger - the days when pizza and mac & cheese were daily desires. I now eat my greens. Daily. I eat them via a smoothie, a salad, or as a side on their own. I love them and have grown to appreciate the good things they do to my body. Moms and grandmothers are always right about that kind of stuff. Last Sunday, I fulfilled my daily greens requirement by eating this kale salad. I found a version of it here a few weeks ago and tweeked it a bit based on the time I had and the ingredients I had on hand. I love lemon-y kale and feta, but the farro was my favorite thing in the salad. To me, it's the Italian version of brown rice. It's flavorful, filling (it's full of fiber), and super healthy. Its texture was perfect against the crunchiness of the kale and walnuts. The farro can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, so if you have some leftovers, this flavorful and healthy salad can quite literally be made in about 5 minutes. Gotta love a salad like that... 

Here is what you need and what to do: (makes 2 large servings)

3 cups lacinato kale, torn or chopped, stems removed (see note)
1 cup cooked farro (see note)
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
2 -3 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Add the kale, farro, feta, zest and lemon juice, and olive oil to a large bowl. Toss with a large spoon or tongs to combine. Taste and add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste until seasoned for your taste.

A few tips:
 - Cook the farro according to its package instructions. I've learned that I can't go by general instructions. You can buy "pearled" or "semi-pearled" farro. The semi-pearled farro is best as it is the least processed and richer in fiber. It also takes a little longer to cook than pearled farro.

- I chop my kale by first removing the stems. I then stack the leaves one on top of the other and tightly roll them up into one roll. I then cut the roll into thin strips.

Enjoy!

Images by me