Summer Pea, Watermelon and Farro Salad

This summer, I've had the opportunity to reconnect with a dear friend from my freshman year of college. She and her husband + 5 kids are living nearby for the summer and we have been getting our kids together weekly for swimming, sleepovers and tons of fun. Our kids have never met before this summer, but they have become fast friends. It has been an absolute blast.

Last week, we were throwing together dinner for the kids- we ended up making sprinkle pancakes, steamed broccoli, corn on the cob, turkey sausage, and watermelon- and I had torn out this recipe from the most recent issue of Cooking Light. I had all the ingredients, so I decided to make a little something special for the adults. This recipe was under the 5 ingredient section of the magazine and took about 30 minutes to throw together.

For the amount of time it took and the small number of ingredients it contains, I would have to say it is pretty good. I added some olive oil just because I felt it needed a little something and next time I will add some fresh lemon juice. It was almost too sweet for me, with the peas and the watermelon, I would have liked some feta or something to cut the sweetness. I prefer my salads to be on the savory side, but it was enjoyed by all of us and a nice change for a quick summer meal.

Here is the recipe for Summer Pea, Watermelon, and Farro Salad from
Cooking Light August 2011

* I added a little bit of olive oil to the salad and I think lemon juice would be a great addition too
*I used shaved Parmesan cheese

Italian Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables

I found it!! I finally found it- Farro that is. I have been looking for it for quite a few months and couldn't find it anywhere. I have seen quite a few recipes that use it and even made one that was supposed to contain it. But, then a couple of weeks ago, I saw it in the bulk bins at EarthFare and bought a bag full.

I would say that the texture is similar to wheat berries or barley, but the flavor is a little bit different. I had tons of veggies from my garden and found this great recipe that combined farro and roasted veggies. It is a recipe from Jamie Oliver and it was wonderful. I was able to use zucchini, summer squash, and bell peppers from my garden and there was also fennel thrown into the mix. Roasted fennel is so delicious.

I made this when my sibling were visiting me and we continued to eat it throughout the week. The leftovers are great.

Here is the recipe for Italian Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables