Big salads satisfy a craving for a healthy, delicious, one-bowl meal.
A perfect lunch or light dinner, these salads help bridge spring and summer: not quite as hearty as stew, yet lighter than those tossed delicate greens. Plus, they make great use of leftovers.
There's really no recipe for building a big whole-grain salad, just some general rules, a willingness to experiment and a few good oils and vinegars in the pantry.
Start with the two fundamental components: cooked whole grains and raw, crisp vegetables. Then decide on a dressing. A creamy sauce of tahini, yogurt or smashed avocado will give the salad even more substance and bind the ingredients together. Or, if you're looking for a brighter combination, choose a snappy vinaigrette.
Fresh, crisp vegetables add color and crunch. Think about diced celery, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, fennel, radishes and snap or sugar peas. While there are plenty of recipes for salads with roasted or steamed vegetables, these don't add much to the texture of cooked whole grains. Be sure the vegetables are cut to the same size, and are small enough so they fit together nicely on the fork and provide some of each flavor in every bite.
Cooked dry beans can help turn these big bowls into a plant-based powerhouse. Or add meat, eggs and cheese for a truly big bowl. Your grain of choice — farro, wild rice, quinoa or barley — can be prepared ahead and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least a week, ready to go. Cooked cranberry beans, black beans, cannellini beans and chickpeas may be stored the same way. If you're in a pinch, rely on the canned versions.
Serve this big salad with hunks of rough whole-wheat bread to sop up all the wonderful tidbits left in the bowl.
Big Bowl Farro and Vegetable Salad With Snappy Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4.
Note: Dressed with a lemony vinaigrette, farro and crisp raw vegetables make a fine meal. Toss in diced cooked chicken, or cooked dried beans, and/or shaved cheese for heartier fare. From Beth Dooley.
• 1 c. farro
• 1/4 c. finely diced shallots
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lb. diced fennel
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1/2 lb. snap peas, trimmed and diced
• Finely minced parsley leaves
Directions
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the farro to the pot and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
Put the shallots in a small bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper, the lemon juice and lemon zest, and leave for 5 minutes. Whisk in the oil.
Turn the farro into a large bowl and toss in the fennel, carrots and snap peas. Then drizzle in enough of the vinaigrette to lightly coat both the farro and vegetables. Serve garnished with the parsley.
Beth Dooley is the author of "In Winter's Kitchen." Find her at bethdooleyskitchen.com.
