Montebello's Organic Roman Farro Salad

Recipes on packages can be a great place to begin if you're not sure how to try out a new food item.  On the back of the of the Montebello Organic Farro Perlato package (sold by Whole Foods, Imported by Spruce Foods) is a recipe for a wonderful farro salad.  You need to begin this recipe the night before to soak the farro properly.

Organic Roman Farro Salad

14 ounces Montebello Organic Farro
6 cups water & 2 tablespoons salt

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped basil
salt & pepper to taste.

Soak farro in cold water for at least 8 hours.  Drain and combine farro with 6 cups fresh water in a medium saucepan.  Add salt.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until farro is tender, about 30 minutes.  Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Add tomatoes, basil, olives and capers to farro and toss.  Add the garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil and toss.  The salad can be refrigerated overnight.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

For nutritional information check out the Farro post.

Beautiful Ingredients



Enjoy!



Farro- My New Found Food Friend

Farro.  If I say it with my best Italian accent it sounds completely dreamy.  It is dreamy as far as grains go.  Calling food magnificent can be and over exaggeration, but I was so impressed with Farro I had to share my discovery.  Farro is far from a new grain.  It is an ancient heirloom grain that was fed to the Roman Legions centuries ago.  Sometimes you don't know what you're missing until you discover a new found, almost long lost food of days gone by.  Over the years, farro lost its popularity when higher yielding grains were developed.  Even years ago, humans wanted quick, fast results and therefore give up on something great for something mediocre.  Sad, but true.  Although it was almost a lost treasure, farro was reintroduced by farmers of the French Haute Savoie who supplied to it uspcale restaurants.  Recently, it is now increasing in popularity among health-conscious epicures in addition to experiencing a resurgence in Italy.

Farro has a firm, chewy texture and nutty flavor.  I've used it in salads and side dishes.  It can also be added to soups and stews.  Farro's nutritional makeup far exceeds that of its distant relative, wheat.

According to 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet:

"Farro is a whole grain that is an excellent source for complex carbohydrates. Additionally, farro has twice the fiber and protein than modern wheat. Different than some other whole grains, a carbohydrate in farro called cyanogenic glucosides has been found to stimulate the immune system, lower cholesterol and help maintain blood sugar levels. While farro does contain gluten, the gluten molecules are weaker than modern wheat, making it more easily digested."

I purchased my farro at Whole Foods.  It is produced by Montebello, grown at Monastero di Montebello.  Doesn't that just have a romantic ring to it?  I'm in food passion love with farro.  Crazy I know since I rarely eat grains, but if you're going to fall off the paleo wagon, farroland is a good landing spot.

According to the package, 1/4 cup of farro (dry) has:

150 calories
1 gram fat
0.5 grams saturated fat
0 grams trans fat
0 mg cholesterol
10 mg sodium
32 grams total carbohydrates
2 grams dietary fiber
1 gram sugar
6 grams protein

So, that's the scoop on farro.  Next post I'll share The Organic Roman Farro Salad Recipe.  So Delish!

Chicken & Rice Soup



As promised, here's a blog on our homemade chicken & rice soup.  I make this almost every time we have a roasted chicken in the house.

I grew up in family that didn't let much go to waste.  Perhaps that is why I cringe when I see people throw away bones with meat still left on them.  I think, "There's a whole meal to be created there!"

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you can roast your own chicken at home or use a Costco rotisserie chicken.  If you're using the Costco (or similar rotisserie chicken) don't throw away the carcass or any of that yummy juice in the bottom of the container.  The juice at the bottom and the skin add delicious flavor.

The carcass

Place the carcass in a large soup pot and add water.  Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer.  Simmer for hours, adding water if necessary.

After hours of cooking your chicken stock is ready for the next process.  Why is homemade chicken stock, or bone broth, important? 

According to Sally Fallon, author of Broth is Beautiful, "Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily- not just calcium and magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals.  It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons- stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and join pain." 

She continues with fish broth, "Broth and soup made with fish heads and carcasses provide iodine and thyroid-strengthening substances."

And to think we throw away all this nutrition!

Simmering Away.

After your chicken carcass has cooled, remove meat from the bones.  Discard bones and skin.  If there is excess floaties on the top you don't care for, just skim that off.  Add chicken meat back to pot. 

At this point, if you want only chicken broth, chicken meat and rice, you can add 1/2-1 cup of rice depending on how much broth you made.  If necessary, add salt and some pepper to taste.  Before the rice, I usually add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and peas to the pot.  Cook for about a 1/2 hour.  Then I add the rice.  I've been using brown rice, and it turns out great.  Cover pot and let rice cook.  This is such a simple clean soup, I usually don't add many seasonings.  The kids love the simpleness of it.

I once made this soup when we were hosting 5 Ugandan girls at our house.  I bought two Costco chickens and just put them directly in my biggest soup pot.  It's a BIG pot.  I cooked the chickens and then just added rice to the broth.  It was a very meaty rice soup.  The girls were crazy for it!  One little girl, after she went for her fourth serving said to me, "Mom, this soup is not good...OPPOSITE!"  She was a cutie!  She loved it.  Who knew a little body could hold so much soup?

Here are some photos of our precious five!

The Ugandan Girls and our Girly- All Girls!

Helping in the kitchen.

Fun times!

Precious Children

After the vegetables have cooked, the soup is ready to be served.

Enjoy!  Your joints could quite possibly thank you!

What Not to Talk About...Religion, Politics... Food?

I would have never dreamed a discussion on food could be so complicated.  There's a study to support just about anything, or condemn just about anything.  Bringing up food philosophy creates heated debate likened to a discussion on religion or politics.  There are so many camps out there, the vegetarians, the vegans, the raw folk, the primal folk, the paleo, the whole food people, the clean foodies, the junk foodies, the eat-whatever-you-want-we're-all-going-to-die foodies...and the list goes on.  It can get a bit confusing.  Who to believe?  What to believe?  What study is accurate?  Which one has a hidden agenda?

This fall, I'm teaching a P.E./Nutrition class at a local homeschool group so I've upped my reading about nutrition this summer.  My focus in reading has been "Real Food" and what is best for our bodies nutritionally.  There is so much controversy, I thought I'd begin sharing a bit of what I've read.  It's yours to take it or leave it.  Your body, your food choice.

I must first mention, I'm in the CrossFit scene.  For the most part, people who frequent CrossFit gyms follow either a Zone or Paleo eating plan, although I do know a vegetarian at our gym.  I would say she is the exception, rather than the rule.  CrossFit produces meat eaters the way yoga produces vegetarians.  I've been at the CrossFit gym for about a year.  I've always been a Big fan of protein, but thought fats were not my friends.  After much reading over the last many years, I've changed my viewpoint on fats.  Natural Fats Are Good!  During the lowfat craze of the late 80's early 90's I think I did serious damage to my body by avoiding fats.  My hormones were whacked and I experienced consequences due to my fat avoidance.  I can say, never did a doctor look at me and question my diet, but I know firmly believe by issues were nutrition related.

So since I brought up fats, let's look at fats first.  Why do we need fats?  Fat is burned as fuel giving us energy.  It insulates us, protecting us from cold.  And, fat is a basic building block in our cells.  We need fat for proper brain function, hormone production, cellular function, and to properly digest, absorb and transport vitamins.

So what kind of good, healthy fat should we eat?  Note, the words, "good, healthy fat", not potato chips.  According to Kristen Michaelis, author of Real Food Nutrition and Health, we should give our bodies the kinds of fats it needs.  The number one need is for saturated fats.  WHAT, Saturated Fats?  I can hear you now.  I feel your pain.  This goes against everything we've heard or learned over the last many years.  Here's a fantastic article I found on Mark's Daily Apple to ease your concerns.  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/  Animal fat is good for us.  Meat is our friend.  I'm still trying to embrace bacon as my friend.  I like bacon, but have avoided it for so long, it's hard for me to think it's okay now.  According to Michaelis, saturated fats should be followed by monounsaturated fats found in red meat, whole milk products, nuts and high fat fruits like olives and avocados.

Next on the list, is balancing Omega-6 fatty acids with Omega-3 fatty acids.  The ratio should be less than 4:1, but optimal should be 1:1 or 2:1.  Check your oils at home.  Yellow, refined, seed-based oils have high concentrations of omega-6.  This is shocking, but the average ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 in the standard modern diet is 20:1 because of the dependence on corn products!  Corn is everywhere.  It's time to do some label reading.

Michaelis provides a great list of good fats to use for cooking.  She stresses, "Avoid cooking fats past their smoke point."  That's when the fat begins the process of oxidation leading to inflammation of the arteries.

Great Fats to Use For Cooking

Butter- from grass fed cows (lower than 350 degrees)

Coconut or Palm Oil (lower than 350 degrees)  LOVE the coconut oil!

Lard (Yes, I just typed LARD, I know many of you may be cringing.  It just screams FAT PIG! How can we eat that?).  This lard is from foraged, meaning they ate grasses roots, etc- not corn, pigs (lower than 370 degrees)

Schmaltz (the rendered fat)  from pastured chickens, ducks, or geese (lower than 375 degrees)

Macadamia Oil (lower than 410 degrees)

Tallow from grass-fed cows (lower than 420 degrees)

Ghee (clarified butter) from grass-fed cows (lower than 425 degrees)

Avocado Oil (expeller pressed, UV-protected, lower than 520 degrees)

Fats that are great as condiments are:

Olive Oil

Sesame Oil

Avocado Oil

Macadamia Oil

Coconut Oil

Butter (from grass-fed cows)

Sour Cream (full-fat, with live cultures preferably)

Yogurt (full-fat, with live cultures)

Note: most of the good oils are expeller pressed.  Some are UV-protected.

So, there's a quick fat lesson.  Hopefully all this learning will help me in teaching this fall.  My prayer is that I know what I know in my knower when asked. 

Eat your fats: grass-fed meats, good fish & chicken, avocados, nuts, good oils.  Your brain and body will thank you!