Creamy Cilantro Salad with Farro and Black Beans
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 5-6 servings
- Times
- Description
- Image
- Ingredients
- Method
- Notes
- Nutrition
- Prep time: 45 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour
- Serves: 5-6 servings
You can’t find a bigger nutritional punch than this salad. It is full of so nutritional attributes it was impossible to list them all.
Farro is considered a whole grain. It contains iron, magnesium, and fiber along with protein. In ¼ cup you will get 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and 30 grams of complex carbohydrates (Web MD). Whole grains have been linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
Black Beans fall into the pulse category, also referred to as a legume. Along with providing your body with protein and fiber they also contain phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc which are important for bone and joint health. The potassium, calcium and magnesium all help to decrease blood pressure organically, decreasing chances of heart disease. The benefits are truly too long to list (Ware, 2018). In 1/2c you will get 114 calories, 7.6 grams of protein, 20 grams of complex carbohydrates and 7.5 grams of fiber
Corn is a staple in many cultures. With its high antioxidant count, minerals as well as protein it is a delicious addition to this salad. Fresh is best but if in a pinch find a low sodium organic brand of canned corn.
Yellow or red peppers are full of vitamins, but they also contain a carotenoid called beta cryptoxanthin. This has directly been linked to a decreased risk of degenerative disease and some cancers (Buir, 2016).
Avocados, aside from being delicious avocados also contain a variety of carotenoids and have been linked to the reduction of cardiovascular disease (Pacheco, 2022).
Cilantro can lower blood sugar, so much so that doctors advise people with low blood sugar or on diabetes medication to be aware. It also contains dodecenal an antimicrobial effective against illness caused by diseases like salmonella (nourish, 2022).
It is easy to say this bowl is nutritious and delicious. It is a simple salad to put together after you make the farro and dressing. In the interest of keeping this easy, organic canned black beans and organic canned corn is fine. Of course, it is always better to make them fresh when possible.
References
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-farro
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/289934
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892306/#:~:text=%CE%B2%2DCryptoxanthin%20is%20an%20antioxidant,thus%2C%20may%20help%20delay%20osteoporosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380630/
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.121.024014
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-cilantro
Ingredients
Bowl
- 1 c cooked farro
- 1 can organic black beans
- 1 can organic corn
- 1 avocado
- 1 yellow or red pepper
- 1 cucumber
- 1 head of romaine lettuce
Dressing
- 2 bushels of cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 t salt
- 3/2 t pepper
- 2 limes
- 1 1/2 c 5% greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 t cumin
- 1/2 t paprika
Optional additions
- 1/4-1/2 c mayo, You can add this if you want to break the intensity of the yogurt flavor
- 1 c shredded chicken
- 1 c ground turkey
- 1/4 c cotija cheese
Directions
- 1)
This salad is a cinch to assemble. The first step is to start cooking the farro. I like to cook mine in broth. Make sure to check the back of your bag for directions but typically I do 1 c of farro to 3 cups of boiling vegetable broth and plan to drain any excess liquid
- 2)
You can start to assemble the dressing ingredients next. Add everything on the dressing list to your food processor and blend. It is as simple as that. You will have excess dressing. It is tasty on a lot of other things so store it safely in the fridge.
*If you do not have time to make the dressing on your own, you can top this salad with an organic dressing of your choice or even salsa.
- 3)
By now your farro should be finished. Strain any excess broth and set aside in a bowl to cool down. You can even place it in the fridge to speed up the cool down.
The salad
- 1)
Dice up all of the ingredients for your bowl. Add the farro and top with your homemade dressing.
*This salad stores well aside from the avocado. You can have a quick and ready lunch in a pinch for a few days by simply storing your salad into mason jars. My sister in law Cassie has the gift of presentation. This is how she stored her salads for the week! I will definitely be adding her photos to my recipes as much as possible!
Pre prepped single servings for the week. 
Family style version!