Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This! — thehummingbirdpost.com

Jun 20

Jun 20 Recipe. You Won't Want to Miss This!

Vegetable Loaded Farro Salad

This is a simple and versatile recipe that can use up whatever veggies you have in the fridge/freezer. My veggie-particular husband will eat it – regardless of the vegetables I use because he loves it so much. I try to steer this recipe toward a Mediterranean flair because we love those flavors. Using Farro instead of pasta and reduced fat feta cheese will keep it healthier and for Weight Watchers fans, lower in points. I buy Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro – it comes in an 8.5 oz package so I use one package for this salad. It’s great warm or cold for lunches during the week. Have fun with it!

8 oz farro

1 zucchini – diced small

1 cucumber seeds removed and diced small

1 yellow pepper diced small

½ red onion diced small

1 handful of fresh baby spinach, torn up

1 handful of fresh arugula, torn up

½ jar roasted red peppers in water, diced

Sliced Kalamata olives (optional)

1 cup of frozen peas thawed under running water (Side note: try giving your dog some as a treat, mine love frozen peas!)

Sea salt, pepper and dried oregano to taste

1 handful f fresh parsley coarsely chopped

4 oz reduced fat feta cheese

Good olive oil

*Feel free to add or substitute any other vegetables for those listed above

Rinse and cook the farro according to package instructions.

While farro is cooking, dice up all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces

Drain excess water from the farrow and run under cold water to stop cooking (and if you prefer a cold salad).

In a large bowl, gently mix the farro, diced veggies, salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley Add feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and mix well

Enjoy!

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Donna Wetjen

Donna grew up on Long Island, the youngest child of two deaf parents. Her childhood was somewhat of a role reversal as she was the person who communicated with the outside world and made sure her parents were okay and not being taken advantage of. Donna believes that witnessing and experiencing the cruelty and discrimination toward people who are “different” shaped her into the compassionate person she is today.

Starting in banking at 16, Donna worked her way up the corporate ladder from Bank Teller to Director of Branch Operations for an East End bank. This position allowed her to feed one of her passions - writing - as she managed many of the Bank’s policies and procedures. Banking did not however, do much for Donna’s other great passions – rescuing animals and cooking.

Feeling lost and alone after her mother passed away from breast and ovarian cancer, on a whim and in the throes of grief, she and her husband sold their LI home and moved to a little house on 17 acres in the rural mountains of North Carolina. Here Donna was able to begin to feed her other passions, as they started a small hobby farm with mostly rescued animals of every variety including sheep, mini-horses, chickens, dogs, cats and a blind chicken named Winky. Shortly after moving there, Donna was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a grueling year-long regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, Donna is happily cancer-free, but forever changed. She now spends her time nourishing all of the things that make her soul happy. She has a small organic garden and has learned the fine art of canning. She spends a good deal of time making up, changing or combining recipes to test on her husband, with considerable success. Donna is currently in the process of writing 2 books based upon her experiences with both cancer and rescuing animals. Donna loves her volunteer work at the county shelter and rescue organization, and is proud of her lifetime of advocacy that began as a child in support of her parents and continues today through her rescue and volunteer work.