This isn't a January-let's-diet-phase to eat healthier. Both of have a health issue which are, according to doctor, controllable by exercise and dietary changes. We've been together 40 years and I'm fortunate we both have the same mindset about lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure without using medication. I hate taking meds and what makes more sense than handling an issue naturally?
Anyway..............
The point is this is a hearty lunch.
Here is a snap of the Italian pearled farro available at our local grocery.
You prepare this as you would rice. Two cups of broth or water to one cup of farro. Set to a boil, add farro and simmer roughly 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
I borrowed the roasted veggie idea from the pasta salad I made last week and roasted more mushrooms, tomatoes and garlic to add in. It was very good.
Obviously there are many veggie combos you could use but this was my first farro outing so, there you have it. This is vegetarian but you could easily add chicken if you desired.
I noticed the tail end of a package of farro lurking in my pasta bin recently. You might inspire me to cook it one of these days!
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
We really liked it. Not sure why I haven't tried it before now.
DeleteI am not sure if we can get farro here or not. Maybe it is called something else?
ReplyDeleteMarg, I just googled it and it may be called emmer where you are.
DeleteI really like farro -- if you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have a 10-minute farro. They used to have a 10-minute barley too, but I guess I was the only person who bought it, because they discontinued it because of lack of sales.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your health issues. We too are pretty determined to stay off the meds if possible.
We do live within 20 miles of a Trader Joe's so I'll check it out. TJ also discontinued the fig bars my husband loved. Not the cookies, the breakfast sort of bar. I told my son and he bought every box in Omaha and shipped them down!
DeleteHaven't cooked with farro. There's always a first tho.
ReplyDeleteHarvee, it was uor first time. Not sure why I'd always avoiding picking up a package.
DeleteJust looked it up and it is not gluten free. I could do this with rice for a change. I try not to do carbs at lunch as we like them too much!
ReplyDeleteJackie, I think rice would be a good option for you.
DeleteI'll have to try this. My husband doesn't like quinoa, but maybe he'll like this. Just had my annual exam and my cholesterol was higher than it's ever been, but my other numbers were good, so we'll see what my doctor says. I don't really want to go on a statin, but I already eat quite healthily and get a lot of exercise (and don't smoke), so as a friend says, "what to do, what to do?" I have given up drinking with the exception of one glass of wine a week with my mah jong buddies. That's down from 2 glasses a night, so maybe that will help with weight loss, which helps lower cholesterol numbers. More than you wanted to know, right? ;) Thanks for the inspiration to try farro!
ReplyDeleteLes, Doug doesn't like quinoa either so this farro was a good option. I like it quit a bit. My doc tried me on a statin decades ago and I had a bad reaction. I hate medicine! I even quit chemo back in the 80's!
DeleteWe are cutting way back on wine as well. If we can melt away a health issue by eating better and getting more exercise we'll do it!
I don't think I've ever tried farro but that looks good so I may try it.
ReplyDeleteVicki, this was our first time trying. We like it.
Deletei don't think i've ever eaten farro. Hubby had a health scare with blood pressure and cholesterol so we changed our diet pretty much completely and his health issues have melted away - thank heavens!
ReplyDeleteSherry, I don't know if it's called Farro in Australia. I did google it and found where you could order/buy it in your country.
DeleteWe are in the same boat for health issue as you said. I have a high liver # count and high cholesterol. Doug has high blood pressure so we are making changes
I haven't had farro before, but I'm sure I'm going to see it croppin' up everywhere. I have been eating some ready made sushi and it's quite filling.
ReplyDeleteTrin, I used to eat lots of sushi when I worked, it was convenient to get it from our closeby grocery. The farro was good!
DeleteI've never used Farro . I've heard about it in some recipes but I don't think I can eat it because I don't think it's gluten free. Looks good though.
ReplyDeleteJudee, it is a wheat product but you could substitute something else for those roasted veggies.
DeleteI love farro and have used it in both soups and salads. My husband doesn't like it as much as I do, but he'll eat in "once in a while." There is a salad recipe called Charlie Bird's Farro Salad that is my favorite... it was in the NYTimes, but also available on food network via Ina Garten. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, thanks for the tip and I will look for the recipe. We are both enjoying farro, so filling and full of protein!
DeleteI love farro though it's been awhile since I've eaten it. We are trying to get a handle on our eating habits this year. We really let things go in the last couple of years and were eating out more than I'd like and not getting nearly enough water and healthy foods.
ReplyDeleteI am very fond of farro, and posted this a few years ago - idea from a book!
ReplyDeletehttps://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2017/06/stir-by-jessica-fechtor.html