Description
Ready in 30 minutes or less, this spring grain salad is made with chewy farro, vibrant spring veggies, and a super creamy vegan green goddess dressing. This spring salad holds up well in the fridge making it perfect for weekly meal prep!
Ingredients
for the green goddess dressing:
- 1 16-ounce package silken tofu
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1 1/2 cups mixed fresh herbs, such as dill, chives, basil, and parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Sea salt, to taste
- Water, as needed to thin
for the spring grain salad:
- 1 cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup farro
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds, chopped
- 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Bring a pot of water to boil for the peas and asparagus.
Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a blender except for the water. Blend until very smooth. If the dressing is having trouble blending, or seems too thick, add a splash or two of water as needed. Taste the dressing and add more salt as needed. Set the dressing aside.
Blanch the peas and asparagus in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain and add to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and cool them down. Once cool, drain, pat dry, then set aside.
Cook the farro in same pot (on the same burner) according to the package instructions. Drain and run under cold water for a minute to cool it down. Drain well.
Add the cooked farro to a large bowl along with the asparagus, peas, radish, spinach, and almonds. Add about ½ cup of the dressing then toss. Taste and add more dressing or salt as needed before serving.
Keep leftover salad and dressing in the fridge. The salad is best within 5 days and the dressing is best within 7 days.
Notes
- This recipe originally incorporated marinated tofu in the salad. If you’d like to make it, you’ll need 8 ounces of extra or super firm tofu, 1 tablespoon of tamari and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Drain the firm tofu of excess water and pat dry. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, then toss with the tamari and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Park it in the fridge or on the counter for 30 minutes to one hour, making sure to toss it every 10 minutes. Drain the tofu before using in the salad.
- Quinoa can be used in place farro for a gluten free version. It will add an extra 5 minute to the overall cooking time.
- The dressing recipe makes about 2 3/4 cups total so you will have plenty of leftovers. If you want to double the salad recipe, do not double the dressing recipe as you will have enough for a double batch of salad.
- I don’t like the texture of almond skin so I roasted some blanched almonds to use in the salad.
- I used the juice of 1 large lemon in the dressing (about 3 tablespoons). If you only have small lemons you’ll most likely want to use 1 1/2 to 2.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, salad, Side Dish