Raise your hand if you over indulged this holiday season (my hand is raised so high I feel like that little kid in class who knows the answer so badly that she keeps thrusting her hand into the air hoping the teacher will call on her…. yes, that much indulging…). My counter to the indulgences of the holiday? This farro super salad. I first tasted something similar to it at Whole Foods (on a side note, does anyone else have trouble picking out what they want to eat at Whole Foods? I can never made up my mind! It all looks too tasty…). It was so delicious that I decided to whip it up for a New Year’s Eve gathering I attended… and took out a little bit prior to serving to snack on it throughout New Year’s Day.

So, here’s why it’s so super. Farro is full of cholesterol lowering and tension reducing agents. It’s a good carb (Amen to that) that will digest slowly and keep your energy levels at a stable level. After detoxing off of sugar (both from food and wine) this is a savior salad. It’s dressing (lemon and balsamic vinegar) isn’t full of high fat or artificial flavoring, which already gives it an A+ in my book. And… it’s full of veggies…. need I say more to justify its “super” label??

Ingredients:

9 oz Farro (I like to use the packaged kind at Trader Joe’s… but any will work)
1 lage zucchini sliced and cut into fourths
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
3.5 oz shitake mushrooms diced
1/2- 1 lemon juiced
Good quality balsamic vinegar (trust me, you can taste the difference…)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook farro according to instructions on package
2. While the farro is cooking, dice all the vegetables
3. Once the farro is done cooking, drain, and combine vegetables and faro in a large bowl.
4. Starting with 1/2 lemon, juice over the farro and mix ingredients together. Taste and then add more lemon juice to your liking.
5. Drizzle balsamic vinegar on the salad and mix. Continue to add to your liking. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your liking.
6. Serve immediately for optimal taste. Or, you can save and refrigerate if you plan to eat this throughout the week.