warm farro salad // sweet potato + chickpeas

I've had this recipe in my Que and on my mind since last winter, it isn't until now that I actually got around to making it. I'm kinda sad I didn't make it sooner, It really was worth the wait.

Farro is one of those grains that I don't use often enough. Every time I use farro in a recipe I think to myself this is so good why don't I cook with farro more often...then it gets pushed back into the dark corner of the pantry forgotten until another year has passed.

I think we have had this discussion before, but what really constitutes as a salad? This is a warm Salad of sorts, but could definitely be served at room temp. It would even be great served over a bed of fresh greens such as arugula or baby spinach.

I restocked my Farro stash with an Organic NON GMO Farro from NOW Foods, it also has the added bonus of being grown in the USA / / double win!

The dressing is super simple // garlic, lime, hot pepper, coconut oil and sea salt.

Chickpeas add additional protein, sunflower seeds crunch and the golden berries (also known as Inca Berries) add a welcome tartness to the overall dish.

Wanna make this salad at home but not sure what the heck golden berries or farro is let alone where to buy them? NOW Foods has got you covered- they are offering one lucky reader a NOW Real Foods Bundle to make this salad in your own kitchen!

Enter to win below!

16oz package of Organic Farro

Package of Organic Golden Berries

16oz Package Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds

12oz Jar Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

(open to US Residents only)

Warm Farro Salad // Sweet Potato + Chickpeas
serves 4-6

you will need:
1 cup dry farro + 2 1/4 cups water

 1 tbsp coconut oil  

1 medium sweet potato peeled + shredded
1 can chickpeas- drained (keep the brine as an egg replacer!)

1/4 cup golden berries or golden raisins  

1/4 cup salted roasted sunflower seeds
2 large handfuls baby kale or baby spinach
salt to taste

for the dressing

1 tsp dried chili flake

juice of 1 fresh lime
1 clove of garlic // minced

salt to taste

1 tbsp Coconut Oil  melted

assembly:
Cook the farro according to package instructions // my ratio was 1 cup dry farro + 2 1/4 cups of water cooked for 20 minutes.

While farro is cooking. Shred your sweet potato and heat coconut oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Saute sweet potato until sweet potato begins to soften and crisp up a bit. Add chickpeas and cook about 2 additional minutes continuously stirring to prevent the sweet potato from sticking to the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium / low, add cooked farro, golden berries and sunflower seeds, stir until incorporated into the sweet potatoes and chickpeas.

Add the greens and salt tossing with the farro to - greens should begin to slightly wilt.

Turn off heat.

In a small bowl combine all dressing ingredients and mix. Drizzle dressing over the Farro Salad and toss / mix salad to evenly distribute dressing.

Transfer to a serving platter or serve straight from the pan.

Best served warm or at room temp.

Will keep up to a week. When reheating, add a small amount of water to the pan or dish.

Enjoy!

*I was provided this product for review as a participant in the NOW Influencer Program #NOWWellness however all thoughts and opinions are my own

warm farro salad // sweet potato + chickpeas
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