Chicken and Farro Herb Salad

Serves 6

With tons of fresh herbs, arugula, olives and farro, this healthy chicken salad recipe makes a wonderful potluck platter or healthy dinner. We love the nutty flavor and quick cooking time of farro but other whole grains, such as freekeh, bulgur or couscous, are also good choices.

Ingredients

Red-Wine Vinaigrette

1/3 cup red-wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 small clove garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

3 cups water

1 cup farro

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup chopped seeded English cucumber

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh basil, very thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh mint, very thinly sliced

2 cups arugula, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup oil-cured black olives, sliced

Preparation

1. To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk vinegar, mustard, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in oil.
2. To prepare salad: Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add farro, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until just tender, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain; transfer the farro to a large bowl.
3. Toss 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette with the warm farro; let stand until cool.
4. Preheat grill to medium-high.
5. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the chicken, turning once or twice, until cooked through, 12 to 16 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and slice.
6. Stir fennel, carrot, cucumber, onion, parsley, basil, mint and 1/3 cup vinaigrette into the farro.
7. Just before serving, stir arugula into the farro mixture. Serve topped with the chicken and olives, drizzled with the remaining vinaigrette.

Nutrition per serving(1 1/3 cups salad & 3 oz. chicken): 459 Calories; 24 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 15 g Mono; 32 g Carbohydrates; 28 g Protein.

From EatingWell July/August 2015: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_farro_herb_salad.html.

Chard and Wheat Berry Frittata

Serves 6

A perfect brunch dish, this frittata incorporates garlicky sautéed rainbow chard and cooked wheat berries into a light egg batter, garnished with curls of Parmesan.

Ingredients

1 pound chard, preferably rainbow chard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 large eggs

1½ cups cooked wheat berries

⅓ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, plus 6 Parmesan curls

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking spray

6 rainbow cocktail tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Directions

1. Wash the chard well and shake off excess water. Cut crosswise into ½-inch strips, discarding tough stems, and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté about 5 minutes or until soft. Add 2 generous handfuls of chard strips, increase heat to medium and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the chard is wilted and soft. Repeat two to three times, until all the chard is cooked.
3. Meanwhile, whisk eggs, wheat berries, grated cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cooked chard to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
4. Wipe out the skillet, spray with cooking spray and heat on medium-low heat. Add the egg-chard mixture and place the tomato halves, cut side up, into the top of the frittata. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Turn the broiler on high. Remove the cover from the pan, spray the top of the frittata with cooking spray or brush with olive oil, and position it 8 inches from the broiler. Broil for about 6 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Garnish with Parmesan curls before cutting it into wedges and serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutrition per serving (⅙ of pan (4.3 ounces)): Calories: 294; Total fat: 9g; Saturated fat: 3g; Carbohydrate: 39g; Protein: 2g.

Recipe from Food and Nutrition Magazine July/August 2015: http://www.foodandnutrition.org/July-August-2015/Chard-and-Wheat-Berry-Frittata/.