Source: Harvard Public Health
Needing some inspiration for your kids' school lunches? Well this colorful combination of vegetables with whole-grain farro should fit the bill! It's adaptable for all seasons and substituting olive oil for canola oil is the only edit I suggest.
The instructions and nutritional information follow, or click on the link to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=m5bIPn8H1nY
Serves 8, as a side
Ingredients:
- 1 cup farro, uncooked
- Seasonal vegetables, diced (4 vegetables make about 8-10 cups)
- (Summer: zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, eggplant)
- (Winter: root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets; and winter squashes: butternut, acorn)
- ¼ cup canola, olive, or other healthy oil
- ¾ tablespoon pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Fresh herbs as available, chopped
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Dice all vegetables into even pieces and set aside.
- Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in the farro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender (Approximately 40 minutes. Check package for cooking instructions).
- Meanwhile, toss the diced vegetables in canola oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a baking pan, and roast until browned in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes, and toss the vegetables so that they brown evenly.
- Once the vegetables are fully roasted, fold them into the farro. Add the lemon juice and taste to adjust for seasoning. Add additional salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, to taste.
Nutrition information per serving (1/8 of recipe):
Using summer vegetables and canola oil:
181 calories, 8 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 52 mg sodium, 365 mg potassium, 8 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 g cholesterol
Using winter vegetables and canola oil:
225 calories, 6 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 7 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 128 mg sodium, 298 mg potassium, 7 g fat (0 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol
** Naturally occurring sugar