Late Summer Farro Bowls with Pesto Dressing

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings

1 cup loosely packed basil
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds or walnuts
¼ cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp mellow white miso paste
1-2 cloves garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
*You could also use any protein! Chicken thighs, flank steak, pork loin, etc…
**Don’t have pickled red onions ready? You can do a quick pickle by dicing half a red onion and covering with vinegar and stirring in a generous pinch of salt. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
Note: ~ use any veggies that you like to grill. If you don’t like eggplant, just add more peppers and zucchini, etc…You should have a total of about 6 cups of chopped up cooked veggies in the end.

In a medium pot, add the farro and enough water to cover by 2-inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer rapidly for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat the grill on high for at least 10 minutes, then reduce a bit to medium-high.
In a medium bowl, add chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, smoked paprika, and pepper and toss to coat.
Place the veggies on a baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 3 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon salt all over, making sure to get most of the oil and salt on the eggplant (this helps it get cooked all the way through and luscious). Rub around to coat.
Add chicken and veggies to the grill. Cover and grill for 3-5 minutes, or until you have nice grill marks. Flip everything, reduce the heat down to medium, and grill for 5-7 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Transfer the eggplant and peppers to a bowl and cover with a lid for about 10 minutes (the steam will help continue to soften the peppers and cook the eggplant all the way through). Meanwhile you chop up the chicken and other veggies. Once it has steamed, chop up the eggplant and peppers.
In a high-speed blender, add all dressing ingredients and blend on high until smooth.
Add farro to a bowl along with chicken and plenty of veggies. Slather generously with the dressing and top with pickled red onions.

Substitutions:

To make gluten-free, use a gluten free grain like quinoa or rice in place of farro. You could also use pasta in place of the grains.
To make it vegetarian, use boiled or fried eggs or roasted or grilled tofu in place of the chicken. You could also just add some drained and rinsed canned beans!
Use any veggies that you like to grill. If you don’t like eggplant, just add more peppers and zucchini, etc…You should have a total of about 6 cups of chopped up cooked veggies in the end.
If you don’t have miso paste, you could either substitute it with 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari or add ¼-½ cup parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too thick, you can always blend in more water or if it’s too thin, blend in more nuts or seeds.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Grilled veggies: up to 5 days in the fridge
- Chicken: up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months
- Dressing: up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months

Add grains to the bowl and top with warm chicken and veggies, plenty of sauce, and pickled onions.
Turn it into salad by adding greens and tossing everything in the dressing.
Leftover dressing is delicious on pretty much everything - grilled veggies or meats, salads, bowls, eggs, bread, etc…