Tasty Tuesday – Vegetarian Mediterranean Farro Salad

 

I have been on the hunt for recipes that are high in veggies plus are quick and easy to prepare.  I found this recipe in my “in box” the other day and it sounded YUMMY!  Now, I am not a feta cheese kind of girl PLUS I can’t have dairy now so the fact that it was optional was HUGE!  I liked that this made enough to divide over a few days to have for lunch or a salad with dinner.

Ingredients:

1 cup farro
1 large cucumber
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup parsley
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup feta cheese

Directions

Boil the farro for 10-12 minutes in large pot. (I like the pre-cooked farro from Trader Joe’s.) As the farro boils, chop the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and parsley. (If desired, chop the feta cheese as well.)

When the farro is finished, strain the grain and rinse with cold water for about 30-45 seconds.

Scoop the farro into a large bowl and add the chopped veggies.

Squeeze the fresh lemon on top of the salad and add salt and pepper to taste. (I prefer just lemon and pepper.)

Mix all together and enjoy!

If you haven’t tried farro, it is a GREAT grain to use instead of rice.  Hubby prefers it when it is used with stir-fry or chili, something that has some “juice” or gravy or sauce.  I, on the other hand, love to eat it as a side with just a few veggies.

Share your favorite recipes with us.  I would love to highlight YOUR favorites (and your business).

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Tasty Tuesday – Two Easy Snacks

Mini Stuffed Peppers Entire recipe (4 stuffed peppers): 104 calories, 1.5g fat, 241mg sodium, 15.5g carbs, 5.5g fiber, 5.5g sugars, 11g protein — PointsPlus® value 3* Fill your peppers with vegetarian taco meat for adorable snacks loaded with protein, fiber, and flavor! They’ll make your mouth proud to be attached to a person who feeds it so well… Prep: 10 minutes      Cook: 15 minutes Ingredients: 4 sweet mini bell peppers (each about 2 1/2 inches long) 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the kinds by Boca and MorningStar Farms) 1/4 tsp. taco seasoning mix Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Slice off and discard the stem end of each pepper. Remove and discard seeds. Place peppers on the baking sheet. Bake for 4 minutes. Flip peppers. Bake until soft, about 4 more minutes. Meanwhile, bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Cook and stir onion until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add soy crumbles, and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Cook and stir until onion is soft and crumbles are hot, about 2 more minutes. If needed, blot away excess moisture from peppers. Fill with soy crumble mixture. Eat up! Asian Peanut Slaw 1/4th of recipe (about 1 heaping cup): 89 calories, 4.5g fat, 198mg sodium, 9g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 5.5g sugars, 3g protein — PointsPlus® value 2* It’s too darn easy to make this yummy scoopable snack — only four ingredients, people! Prep: 5 minutes Ingredients: 4 cups bagged cole slaw mix 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas 1/3 cup low-fat Thai peanut salad dressing or sauce (like the kind by Litehouse) 2 tbsp. chopped peanuts Directions: In a medium-large bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss to coat, and enjoy! MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Thank you Hungry Girl for two more awesome recipes.  They might even fit into my no gluten, no dairy and no sugar regime.  If you make them, let me know what you think.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Tasty Tuesday – Cauliflower Fried Rice

Today’s recipe is courtesy of allrecipes.com.  You can view the video on how to make this tasty meal by clicking the link.  For health reasons, it has been suggested that I go dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free.  I am doing my best but it isn’t easy.  So here is a recipe that I am going to try.

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sesame oil, divided
• 4 cups cubed pork loin (I will substitute shrimp since I don’t eat meat)
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1 large carrot, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 20 ounces shredded cauliflower
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Stir peas and water together in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook and stir until peas are tender and heated through, about 5 minutes. Drain and discard water.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork in hot oil until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil the wok. Saute green onions, carrot, and garlic in hot oil until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower; cook and stir until cauliflower had a tender but firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir pork, peas, and and soy sauce into cauliflower mixture and stir-fry until mixture is hot and slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Move pork-cauliflower mixture to one side of the wok; pour beaten eggs onto empty side. Scramble eggs until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes; stir cooked eggs into the pork-cauliflower mixture, breaking up any large chunks.

Hope you have a ThirtyOne-derful day!