This Rocket Your Mind Salad has the nuttiness of farro, the snappiness of arugula, the freshness of cilantro, the coolness of mint, the creaminess of feta and the sweetness of sugar plum tomatoes, all with a tangy lemon vinaigrette. This taste combination will blow your mind.
This post may contain affiliate links which I earn a small portion in sales if a purchase is made. Rest assured though, it is never at any additional cost to you.
My husband and I just had our 7th wedding anniversary yesterday and since he would be on the road working, we celebrated a few weeks earlier. We were fortunate enough to spend a few days in beautiful Napa, where the inspiration for this Rocket Your Mind Salad recipe came from. While dining in the restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch Winery I had some wonderfully tasty lamb sliders with this ever so unique yet so simple salad of arugula, mint and cilantro with a lemon vinaigrette. The salad stole the show for me as it was so refreshing and tasty with the sliders. I couldn’t wait to go home and replicate it with a few twists. Somewhere along the way, the idea of adding the grain farro, sugar plum tomatoes and red onion popped into my head. This Rocket Your Mind Salad, with all of its incredible mixture of flavors, would be a perfect combination with virtually any meat. The best part of all, it is simple to make.
If you have never had the grain farro, then you are in for a treat. It is often used in Italian cooking and it has a chewy nuttiness that makes it extremely satisfying. The good news is it has great nutritional profile. The one trick that is important to keep in mind when preparing farro, soak it overnight if you don’t purchase the quicker cooking version. The quicker cooking version takes about 10-11 minutes to boil (vs. 45mins) and has a bit less fiber. Whichever version you choose, you are bound to fall in love with this grain.
If you do choose the quick cooking farro, the time it takes for cooking, allows you time to prepare the vinaigrette and veggies.
Fresh mint and cilantro.
Beautiful arugula, aka. rocket leaves.
Lemon Vinaigrette
This Rocket Your Mind Salad would be an incredible side dish for any holiday meal but I know for me, I will be eating it for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.
Enjoy!!
Rocket Your Mind Salad
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lg lemon *juiced, approximately 1/4 cup
- 2 med med cloves garlic *crushed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Salad
- 8-9 oz farro grain
- 7 oz bag of arugula
- 1/2 bunch med cilantro *roughly chopped
- 20 leaves fresh mint *torn
- 1 cup sugar plum tomatoes *cut in half
- sm red onion *diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Cook farro according to instructions on package. If using traditional farro (not quick cooking) soak overnight for faster boiling times.
- For the Vinaigrette - Whisk together oil and lemon juice. Add crushed garlic and salt, whisk to incorporate.
- For the Salad- Once farro is cooked to a tender chewiness, drain and let sit to cool for approximately 10 mins. Add to Vinaigrette and toss. Let farro cool to room temptaure before adding veggies. Add veggies, herbs and cheese to farro/vinaigrette mixture and toss well.
Notes
- Cooking times are for quick cooking farro.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply