Spring Chickpea Farro Salad

This is one of my favorite grain salads that I've made so far. Everything harmonizes wonderfully and the vinaigrette ties it all together.  I cooked the chickpeas from scratch, which is definitely worth it.  Chickpeas cooked at home do taste noticeably better than the canned version.  They're a tasty treat eaten plain and piping hot right out of the slow cooker! 

Nutrition Highlight: Celery

Celery does not have superstar status in the vegetable world, though it packs a powerful nutritional punch.  One stalk of celery provides 23% of your Vitamin K RDA.  Vitamin K  aids in blood clotting and bone strengthening.

In my Nutrition and Aging class, we learned that inflammation in the brain causes plaque build-up which leads to dementia. The compound luteolin reduces inflammation in the hippocampus, the portion of the brain responsible for memory.  Thus, not only does celery make a great snack with some hummus, but it can help prevent Alzheimer's disease!

Scientists have found a handful of different cancer-fighting antioxidants in celery. 

• Vitamin C: protects brain cells by fighting free radicals
• Apigenin: decreases size of breast cancer tumors (currently just in mice) 
• Coumarin: enhances activity of cancer-fighting white blood cells 
• Phenolic acid: blocks tumor inducing substances

Cooking Tip

Julienne mint by stacking, folding, then slicing.

Julienne is the French culinary term for slicing an ingredient very thinly.  The mint is much better distributed in the salad when it's cut into tiny pieces.  The quickest way to do this is to stack the mint leaves, fold them in half, then cut crosswise. You can make one more cut down the middle to avoid having overly long mint strips.

Spring Chickpea Farro Salad   

Printable Recipe

Remember to soak the chickpeas overnight before cooking.

1 c. pearled farro (reserve a half cup for another use)
2 c. water

zest of 1 lemon (1 tsp)
1 1/4 c. cooked chickpeas (from 1/3 c dry, soaked overnight)
2 celery stalks, cut crosswise on the bias into 1/4 in. pieces
1 c Italian parsley, roughly chopped
2 scallions, chopped thinly on the bias 

1/4 c grated carrot (half a large carrot)

Dressing

juice of 1/2 a lemon (2 T)
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper

Soak chickpeas overnight. Discard the water in the morning (because you don't want to consume the phytates or gas-causing oligosaccharides) and cook in a slow cooker on high for 4 1/2 hours or on the stove for 1-1 1/2 hours. Drain. 

Combine farro and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 min.  Let cool and drain off any excess liquid.

In a medium bowl, combine farro, chickpeas, celery, parsley scallions, carrot. Combine dressing ingredients and stir in. Add feta cheese. Serve at room temperature.  

Makes 3 servings and can be frozen.