Tag Archives: holiday sides

Farro Salad with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Pecans

Prep time: 30 minutes / Cook time: 45 minutes / Total Time: 1.5 hours

Dressing (prep in a mason jar, cover and shake, let sit for a while while you chop):

1/3 cup Olive Oil

2/3 cup Sherry Vinegar (I’m not a huge fan of oily vinaigrettes)

1 teaspoon each – Tarragon, Thyme, Basil, Ground White Pepper, dry mustard

2 tablespoons Kosher Salt and a couple twists of black pepper

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Salad:

1 cup of cooked Farro, cooled & drained well

1 lb of cleaned Brussels sprouts, shaved into a thin slaw

5 carrots, small dice or grated

1 lb of cherry/grape tomatoes – slice half, keep half whole

3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

Make the dressing and cook the farro.

Chop your onion and peeled carrots, slice your Brussels sprouts in half first, then slice thin vertically but at a slight angle. Toast some chopped pecans in a small pan on medium heat – watching carefully and tossing frequently – probs about 4-5 minutes. Be careful!! Pecans burn in an instant and remember to take them off a little earlier than you think because they’ll continue cooking with the residual heat. Chop the pecan and mix all these dry veggies together and let them hang out for a while in a big bowl.

Is your farro drained and cool? Add and mix that in and halve half of your tomatoes and toss. Is it all nicely mixed? Add the dressing and toss again lightly. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Orange & Radish Salad with Mint

This recipe for my Mom. She loves radishes! My Mom & Dad will plant these first thing every spring and see how many crops they can get in before the weather stops cooperating. With a salt shaker handy, they’ll eat them like popcorn while they wait for the next batch to get big enough to harvest.

This citrusy salad will make a flavorful, fresh (and inexpensive) complement to your holiday table!

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Refrigeration Time: 2 hours

½ cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

4 large navel oranges

1 bunch red radishes

2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Zest of 1 lemon & 1 orange

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, sugar, and salt and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside.

With a sharp knife, slice the tops and bottoms off of the oranges. With one of those flat sides on the cutting board, guide your knife under the peel from top to bottom to remove the peel and pith. Hold the now naked orange in the palm of your clean hand and over a large bowl slice out the sections, letting the juice and orange segments fall into the bowl. Clean, trim, and thinly slice the radishes (I use a box grater). Combine and toss with the oranges. Chop the mint and parsley and add to the bowl along with the lemon juice mixture. Toss gently and chill for at least 2 hours. Toss gently again and serve with freshly zested lemon and orange.

Enjoy!