This week I decided to experiment a little bit with my recipe for Asian Bowl. I normally use soba noodles for this delicious Asian dish, but sometimes my kids complain that it gets to sticky, so I decided to find an alternative to the noodles. I was looking for a grain that I enjoyed eating cold or warm and that would resemble pasta a little bit, Farro just was the perfect choice! It has a nutty flavor that just goes well with the Asian flavors of this salad.

So what is Farro? Farro is a the oldest cultivated ancient grain in the world. Farro has been used in Italian cuisine for centuries and is also very popular in parts of Europe and Middle East. Farro is also a great source of complex carbohydrates and has twice the amount of fiber and protein than modern wheat. One of the complex carbohydrates found in Farro, cyanogenic glucoside, has been found to stimulate immune system, lower cholesterol, and regulate blood sugar levels. Farro is also rich in minerals such as magnesium and zinc.

I like to add a variety of different vegetables to this salad to give it a beautiful splash of color, texture, and also to include the six tastes. Including a variety of color in your diet will ensure that you are getting a good balance of nutrients in your diet. This salad is very easy to make, it can also be made in advance. I have found that the salad tastes even better the next day after the flavors had a chance to blend together. There is also a lot of protein in this meal, so it can easily be served as the star of the meal.

This is a very refreshing salad and a great meal for those who are trying to balance Pitta! I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do! So let’s see what goes into it!

Ingredients:

2 cups of Farro (2 copos de grão Farro)

salt (sal para cozir o grão)

1 cucumber ( 1 pepino)

2 large carrots ( 2 cenouras grandes)

1 cup of edamame without shells ( 1 copo de edamame sem casca)

1 cup of sugar snap peas (1 copo de ervilhas de vargem)

1 red bell pepper ( 1 pimentão vermelho)

1 bunch of green onions ( cebolinha verde)

Sauce: (Molho)

1 clove of garlic ( 1 cabeça de alho)

3 tbs of peanut butter ( 3 colheres de sopa de pasta de amendoim)

3 tbs of liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce ( 3 colheres de sopa de molho de soja)

1tbs of apple cider vinegar (1 colher de sopa de vinagre de cidra)

Juice of 1/2 lemon (suco de 1/2 limão)

1 tsp fresh ginger (1 colher de cha de gengibre)

1 tsp of brown sugar ( 1 colher de cha de açúcar mascavo)

Cook the Farro for about 40 minutes in plenty of salted boiling water. Drain and put it in a large bowl. Dice all the vegetable and add to the bowl with the Farro. In a food processor or with a whisk, blend all the ingreadients for the sauce. Add it to the bowl with the Farro mixture and mix well. Refrigerate and it enjoy it cold.

Cozinhe o Farro por quarenta minutos em agua fervente salgada. Retire a agua. Corte toda a verdura em cubos pequenos e acrescente ao Farro. Coloque todos os ingredientes do molho em um processador de alimentos. Adicione o molho a salada e leve ao refrigerador. Siva a salada fria.

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