Pesto Farro Salad with Cherries

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings

1 cup farro (about 3 cups cooked)
1 cup pitted + halved or quartered cherries*
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
½-1 cup parsley leaves, left whole or a rough chop
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ cup toasted almonds, for topping
½ cup crumbled feta, goat cheese, or shaved parmesan (or use fresh mozzarella), for topping

2 cups loosely packed basil, parsley, and/or arugula (I like to use a mix of two)
¼ cup toasted almonds
⅓ cup parm (about 1.5 oz)
¼ cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 small clove garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2-4 tbsp water, as needed
*Use any stone fruit in place of cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, etc…
Add protein! ~ I like to eat this with grilled chicken, sliced or chopped, poached salmon, or even boiled or fried eggs – served with some extra pesto dressing on top. You could also toss some (warm) beans in some of the dressing (or simply vinegar or lemon) with extra salt and scatter that on top.

In a medium pot, add the farro and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a rapid simmer for about 25 minutes or until the farro is cooked. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon salt, then spread it out and set aside to cool off until just warm or room temp.
To make the pesto dressing, add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time to get the right consistency.
Add about ½ of the pesto to the warm or room temp farro and toss to coat. Add a drizzle of good olive oil and toss again.
In a separate medium bowl, toss together the cherries, herbs, lemon, and salt.
Scoop the farro into your bowl or serving platter and top with cherry salad.
Drizzle more pesto on top, followed by nuts, cheese, and some black pepper.

Substitutions:

To make gluten-free, substitute with about 3 cups worth of cooked short grain brown rice or use cooked GF pasta.
To make vegan, sub parmesan in the pesto with 2 tbsp white miso paste and increase the almonds to ⅓ cup. Top with chopped avocado (sprinkled with salt) to replace the cheese or use a vegan cheese.
To make it nut-free, use pumpkin seeds in place of almonds.
Sub scallions with ¼ of a red onion if you like a punchier bite.

Warm the farro up in the microwave or let it sit out for 30 minutes to come to room temp. Top with the cherry salad, cheese, nuts, and more dressing. You can add a squeeze of lemon to brighten it up and a drizzle of olive oil.
You can just add the cherry mixture to the farro salad and mix it all up, then add the toppings.
Top with any cooked protein (chicken, salmon, eggs, etc…)