Apple & Walnut Farro Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing

So, you may have noticed that I have a thing for farro. I seriously cannot eat enough of this stuff and it is my go to ingredient for brown bagged lunches-- which, I suppose, could be worse. My go to ingredient could be bologna. Or mayonnaise.

Farro is a super hearty grain and makes a great base for a filling lunch salad. It has a mild nutty flavor so you can pair it with a variety of different ingredients and not get bored-- which is key for me! And depending on what you mix into it, a farro salad will hold up really well for several days in the fridge. So, go ahead and make a big batch!

The truth is that this apple and walnut salad was not what I was originally intending to make. I had actually planned to use juicy pomegranate seeds paired with spicy arugula and creamy goat cheese. And in the interest of time (and the color of my hands), I opted to purchase one of those cups of pre-picked pomegranate seeds instead of the entire fruit where I'd have to pull the seeds out by hand. BAD IDEA. The cup was a day past its expiration date and when I opened the cup, it smelled a little like nail polish remover. In the interest of not getting a foodborne illness, I dumped the seeds and surveyed my fridge to find plenty of apples. And it was a good swap!

In this salad, chewy nutty farro is paired with some of my favorite crunchy salad ingredients: sweet apples, spicy radishes, and toasted walnuts. All of these ingredients add great texture to the salad and are also perfect mix-ins for holding up in the refrigerator for several days. It's all tossed in a sweet and savory honey Dijon dressing and paired with crumbled goat cheese-- one of my favorite cheese pairings for fruit and nuts. Serve it over a combo of fresh baby spinach leaves and arugula, but don't mix them in if you're going to make this ahead. The greens will get too soggy after a day or so.


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbs. honey
• 3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. dry chives
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large apple, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup arugula
• 6 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook farro according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk mustard, honey, oil, chives, pepper, and salt until fully combined. Add cooked farro, apple, radishes, and walnuts to the dressing. Toss well to coat.

In a large bowl, combine spinach and arugula. Spoon farro mixture over the top of the greens. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and serve.