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Good Food Reads || 04.14.17

April 14, 2017 By Holly 2 Comments

Another Friday has come and that means a new edition of Good Food Reads. With Easter only a few days away, we have a few holiday themed recipes (of course) but we also have some recipes for the post-holiday hangover. I don’t know about you, but after all the busy prep for big holiday meals, I find myself avoiding the kitchen for a few days. As a result, I love to have some easy, prep ’em and leave ’em type recipes in my pocket to get my family fed and keep my sanity intact. Here’s hoping you enjoy our picks for Good Food Reads as much as we have enjoyed finding them!

Healthy Easter Brunch Recipes, if you’re still looking for that perfect dish for this weekend’s festivities.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs just in time for the Easter Weekend! Want something a little more substantial? Try this Carrot Layer Cake. Perfect every-bunny (yup, I went there..!).

One Pot Chicken and Coconut Curry Noodles. Another recipe for my one pot meal list!

I have a long love affair with Indian food. I don’t love all the hours over the stove, however. Enter: Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken from Dinner: A Love Story.

Salad for breakfast. Yup, for those days when you want to feel super virtuous. Or just eat a really yummy breakfast! And after you eat that salad, feel free to indulge in Blueberry Pistachio Coffee Cake.

After two vacations in the last two months, I’m feeling the need to focus a little more on whole foods and less carbs (gulp). I’m thinking these Vietnamese Beef Lettuce Wraps will make a satisfying meal that doesn’t feel like diet food! I’m also looking forward to trying the Spring Detox Cauliflower Salad from Pinch of Yum.

Everything Greek Pork Pitas. Another slow cooker gem, but with a lighter twist for warmer weather.

Friends, that’s it for this week’s Good Food Reads. I’m off to enjoy the holiday weekend with family. For those who celebrate, Happy Easter. And for those who just enjoy an abundance of Peeps and Cadbury eggs, happy eating.

Good Food Reads || 03.31.17

March 31, 2017 By Holly Leave a Comment

I’m going to be very honest with you. There is no real theme for this week’s Good Food Reads. And I’m 100 percent ok with that. What we do have is a collection of really good recipes from around the blogging world to hopefully fill your kitchens this weekend. I’m gearing up for a busy work weekend so I’ve selfishly included a number of easily portable, healthy salads. Similarly, I am planning to reinstate meatless Monday at my house and so I’ve dug up a tasty looking vegetarian soup recipe that I’m excited to try. What are you cooking this weekend? Here’s my wish list:

Because every Friday needs Jalapeño Queso Dip with Homemade Spiced Chips.

It’s asparagus season!!! Otherwise known as the time of year my husband will actually eat vegetables. So, these gorgeous Pesto and Ricotta Filled Asparagus and Radish Tarts are happening in my house ASAP….

Chimichurri Panzanella Salad with White Beans

March 14, 2017 By Lane 28 Comments

It’s March now and I’m SO ready for spring! And of course, just as I had decided winter was over, Mother Nature goes and dumps a whole bunch of snow all over the Twin Cities. The cold is back. And although I know it will be short lived, it is still a bitter pill to swallow. Since I really needed a bit of spring, I decided it was time to make a great salad. You won’t believe what leftovers you can use to create something entirely new. Chimichurri Panzanella Salad with White Beans is a bit of spring on a plate. …

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

February 21, 2017 By Holly 5 Comments

As I’ve become more comfortable in my kitchen over the years, I’ve discovered there are a few things in life that are just so much better when you make them yourself. Chief among them is salad dressing. I used to have about ten different kinds in my refrigerator at any given time. Most of them were loaded with creepy preservatives, a boatload of sugar, and far too many ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. Worst of all? They really weren’t that good. Once I discovered just how easy it is to make your own dressings my salad game changed forever (and I have a lot more refrigerator space!). One of my favorites is this White Balsamic Vinaigrette….

Good Food Reads || 02.17.17

February 17, 2017 By Holly Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, friends! It’s the end of another work week over here at With Two Spoons and we are welcoming the weekend with some Good Food Reads. After a week of over indulging on Valentine’s sweets, I’m hoping to take my cooking and eating in a slightly more healthy direction this weekend. I always have such good intentions and then I find amazing recipes like the Whoopie Pies or fruit filled crepes and that plan goes out the window. Does anyone else have that problem? I should really just look at recipes that only contain kale, right? Oh wait…that would be miserable. So, with that randomness in mind, onward we go with this week’s Good Food Reads!…

Roasted Squash and Quinoa Salad

January 2, 2017 By Lane 24 Comments

First and Foremost HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are so looking forward to 2017! Secondly, if you are looking for a salad you can eat with a spoon, look no further. Roasted Squash and Quinoa Salad will fill you up while keeping your New Year’s resolutions intact! Read on for the recipe and for my resolutions…maybe you can help hold me to them!…

Roasted Pear and Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

December 19, 2016 By Lane 34 Comments

I love winter food. Short ribs and mashed potatoes. Pastas and soups. My dutch oven works overtime putting out delicious comfort foods. But despite a temperature today of -21 (I am sadly not exaggerating about that one), I just craved salad. But it had to be a hearty one. One with a tangy dressing. A salad like Roasted Pear and Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette.…

Good Food Reads

November 23, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

Well friends, here we are. The day before Thanksgiving. I’m sure that most of you are busy getting ready to welcome friends and family to your homes or to travel to meet with loved ones and share a (likely huge!) meal. I look forward every year to the traditional foods of Thanksgiving. I love mashed potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, and dixie pie. For me, the turkey is ok, but the real game is in the sides. What are your Thanksgiving favorites?…

Good Food Reads

November 16, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving, for me, is always such a great mix of traditional foods and new recipes that push the envelope of classics just a little. In our house, no Thanksgiving is complete without Dixie Pie (find the recipe here) or my mother in law’s pumpkin bread. There is always turkey*, of course, and the traditional sides. Because of distance and job requirements, my husband and I alternate years with our extended family so our food traditions are a little different each fall! While each family does a great job of trying to incorporate those “must have” dishes to make Thanksgiving really feel like home, we also love having something different to look forward to each year. I like to try a twist on a classic side dish each year and with that in mind, I have pulled together a list of Good Food Reads for your upcoming Thanksgiving. You won’t find any traditional turkey or sweet potato recipes here – I trust you have plenty of sources for those – but there are plenty of recipes for classics that push the envelope just a bit. Here’s to a happy and tasty Thanksgiving!…

Farro Salad with Arugula

September 16, 2016 By Holly 28 Comments

The exploding popularity of traditional and ancient grains in recent years has brought with it an abundance of new options for delicious (and hearty!) salads. I love adding barley or quinoa to just about anything and recently discovered the fantastic nuttiness of farro. Once a mainstay of health food stores, this ancient relative of wheat is now widely available in grocery stores (I love Bob’s Red Mill) and is a fun addition to soups, stews, or salads. I’ve really been loving it lately in salads, and this Farro Salad with Arugula in particular.

Adapted from a recipe by Chef Ryan Hardy and the Charlie Bird Restaurant in New York, this salad is easy to make and full of great flavor. I love it for a hearty lunch but it is even great for a light dinner. The farro is best when made a little ahead and chilled and then mixed with fresh arugula, tomatoes, salty shaved parmesan, radishes and vinaigrette. It is studded with pistachios for a great little crunch. If you keep the arugula and dressing out until you’re ready to serve, the recipe is a perfect prepare ahead lunch option for the whole week!

5 from 3 votes

Farro Salad with Arugula

A hearty salad with arugula, farro, and studded with pistachios.

Course Salad

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Adapted from Charlie Bird Restaurant

Ingredients

1 cup farro
1 cup apple cider
2 cups water
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 bay leaves
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped pistachios nuts only
2 cups arugula or arugula/spinach mix
1 cup parsley or basil leaves torn
1 cup mint leaves
¾ cup halved grape tomatoes
⅓ cup thinly sliced radish

Instructions

For the Farro:

Check your brand's package instructions. Most farro requires a cooking ratio of 1 cup grain to 3 cups liquid. Adjust recipe as necessary.
In a medium sauce pain, combine farro, apple cider, bay leaves, salt, and water.
Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender and the liquid is evaporated, approximately 30 min.
Discard the bay leaves.
Set the farro aside to cool.

For the Dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and a small pinch of salt.

For the Salad:

In a large bowl, toss together the farro with dressing, cheese, and nuts. Just before serving, add the arugula, fresh herbs, tomatoes and radish and fold to combine.
Add a pinch of salt to taste.
Serve immediately.