A Stick to Your Resolutions Salad

Okay, we’re more than halfway through January so I have great news: If you’re still looking into ways to stay healthy and on track with your New Year’s goals, you’ve gotten over the quitters hump! According to Business Insider, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. I want to help you be part of the 20%, so I got together with one of my favorite chefs at Loews Coronado Bay Resort to bring you a versatile dish that will (hopefully) be the key!

We wanted to put together a dish that has variations that will make it easy to stick to your goals. This salad alone is exceptionally delicious, but we also provided you with some mix-in ideas that should make it a no-brainer. Especially if you have children who are unwittingly on your healthy journey with you, I’ve given you some ways to change this recipe up to always keep it fresh and exciting.

The heart of this salad is the farro. If you’ve ever tried farro, you know it’s nutty flavor goes well with lots of different foods, but it’s a grain that seems daunting to make yourself. Don’t be afraid of it! It’s so  much easier to cook at home than one realizes, and I encourage you to try it out.

Baby Kale & Farro Salad

Serves 3–4 people
Easy to moderate skill

Ingredients

• 8 cups baby kale
• 1 ½ cup of farro
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ¾ cup pine nuts
• 1 cup goat cheese

Dressing - Lemon vinaigrette

• 2 lemon (zest / lemon juice)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallots minced
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• ½ bunch chopped fresh thyme leafs
• salt and pepper to taste

Step 1
Rinse the farro. Put the farro in a pot and toast until it smells nutty. When it smells nutty, turn off the heat and add 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, turn down to a simmer for 25–30 minutes.

Step 2
While the farro is cooking, wash the baby kale and make sure it is dry or the vinaigrette will not stick to the leaves. In another pan, add the pine nuts and toast until they become golden brown and they give off a nutty aroma. Set aside and cool. Leave the goat cheese in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it or it will be hard to work with.

Step 3
By now the farro should be cooked. It should have a small bite to it. If there is a crunch, leave for another few minutes. When it is cooked put it on a sheet pan and put in the refrigerator to cool down. Zest the lemon. Then cut in half and juice, no seeds. Chop your thyme leaves and mince the shallot.

Step 4
After juicing, zesting and mincing, add dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, thyme, lemon juice and shallots to a bowl and mix. Season to your liking and set aside. Pull the farro and goat cheese from the refrigerator. In a medium mixing bowl, add the baby kale, farro, dried cranberries, pine nuts and crumble the goat cheese over the top. Add the lemon vinaigrette little at a time so you don’t over dress and turn the salad soggy. Don’t forget to add salt pepper to your taste. The salad is pretty delicate so you don’t want to over-mix.

Some mix-in ideas

The sky's the limit here, but Chef Travis recommends:

• Grilled/broiled chicken — try seasoning it with lemon pepper
• Pan roasted salmon (my favorite!)
• Any flaky white fish, like tilapia or halibut
• Look for seasonal vegetables! Depending on the season, veggies like asparagus, broccolini and artichoke hearts would be incredible in this salad. I recommend them roasted or quickly blanched on the stove and then chopped
• Mix in some fruits! Blackberries, mandarin oranges, pomegranates, dried apricots... almost any fresh or dried fruit will be fantastic in this salad

If you’re still working on your goals, congratulations! You’re doing fantastic. If you have lagged a little bit, take this salad recipe and get back on the wagon. When you make this salad (and yes, I mean when not if), be sure to tag us at @LoewsCoronado or by using the hashtag #LoewsCoronado. Good luck!

Loews Hotels & Co.