Farro Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

I have decided I am entering my spring era early. It already feels like a season of rebirth to me. I am in spring cleaning mode, physically and mentally.

We have lived in our house for two years now, but we are doing a bunch of redecorating. We finally got a custom-built record cabinet that we have been wanting for a while, and with the new piece in our living area, I’m feeling a new vibe emerging. Not completely, as I like most of what we have, but we’re swapping out some rugs, hopefully getting a new dining table, and upgrading our outdoor furniture so I can finally spend some more time on our peaceful back deck area.

I mentioned this last week, but I’m also in major overhaul mode when it comes to work. It’s wild to me because I’ve been in this industry for over 10 years now (!!!), and I am constantly having to adapt, but it does feel like things change quicker than ever. A few years ago, I was writing this newsletter freaking out about how I had to move from taking static photos to filming videos. I was so anxious because I didn’t know what I was doing. I was able to make that work, but things have even shifted drastically since then.

Now, it’s all about being the face of your content. You have to be the influencer. It has always been more of my thing to hide behind my recipes, let the visuals take over, but this doesn’t seem to be enough these days. So, I’m trying to appear more (hello!), and I’m also trying to tap into other avenues, from something as simple as building out a new website to creating some products. That sounds bigger than it is, but I have a few creative ideas that I’m excited about.

I feel like I’m making forward momentum for the first time in a while, so I’m relishing in that feeling. I think coming out publicly about our struggles to get pregnant released a lot of the emotional burden for me, so I’ve been able to focus on other things more seriously. And that feels like such a relief!

I’ve heard of Merit Beauty before, but up until reently, I had never tried any of their products myself. I was recently gifted a few of their lipstick shades, and they’re gorgeous! I love the look of a matte lip, and my favorite was their Maison shade, which they call a berry mauve! They also have a beautiful blush balm.

You all know that I have been a longtime fan of Cocokind, so when I saw they came out with body products, I was stoked! I’m particularly excited about their retinol body cream and their KP Soothing Stick. I have keratosis pilaris on my arms and currently just ignore it, so I am very excited to see what happens when I use this product long-term.

I do not like relying on sleep aids, and I much prefer to practice good sleep hygiene (dark and cold room, reading to fall asleep, etc.), but I have been taking a low dose of melatonin every few days to boost my egg quality. I have (obviously) found it to be amazing for my sleep.

I recently learned that a super low dose is most effective, as it is closer to what your body naturally produces. I’m talking .3 mg, whereas many companies sell 5mg or 10mg, which is apparently way too much. I also learned you’re supposed to take it approximately 12 hours before your usual wake time, not right before bed for the best long-term effects. I do end up going to bed earlier and waking up earlier when I take it, but to me, that is a perk. Just a note: always ask your doctor if you’re starting up a new supplement and are unsure!

Like I said, I’m jumping straight into spring a little early, but you’ll be happy to have this salad on deck when the warm seasons hit. This dish has a bit of an Italian chopped salad vibe, but the veggies are roasted! We’ve got farro as our grain base, along with roasted red peppers, zucchini, and red onion, with chickpeas, pepperoncini, shaved Parmesan, and basil.

Everything is tossed in a caramelized lemon dressing, which has such a unique flavor! I was inspired by both Justine Snacks and Carolina Gelen when making this dressing, so shoutout to those ladies!

This is one of those meals that tastes better the longer it marinates, so it’s perfect for meal prep!

• 1 cup uncooked farro

• 2 medium red bell peppers

• 2 medium zucchini

• 1 small red onion

• Olive oil (1-2 tbsp)

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup sliced pepperoncini

• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan, plus more for garnish

• 1/2 cup basil leaves, plus more for garnish

• 1 lemon, cut into slices and seeds removed

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp honey

• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 2 tbsp water

• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Cook farro according to package. Set aside to cool.

2. While farro is cooking, prepare your vegetables. Cut your pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the stem, flesh, and seeds. Cut your zucchini into half moons and your red onion into wedges (removing the the papery skin). Place everything onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and toss with a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until zucchini and onions are soft and peppers are just beginning to char. Let the veggies cool, and then cut the pepper into slices.

3. While veggies are baking, prepare the caramelized onion dressing. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the lemons, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from the pan, and let cool.

4. Once lemon slices have cooled, add to a blender along with garlic, red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, water, and pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. If the texture is too thick, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, or add more olive oil. Dressing will be on the thicker side, but that’s okay!

5. Add the cooled farro and vegetables to a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, pepperoncini, basil, and shaved Parmesan. Add about 3/4 of the salad dressing to the bowl, and toss everything together until evenly combined. If you still feel like the salad needs more dressing, add the rest!

6. Top with more fresh basil and shaved Parmesan, if desired. Serve room temperature or chilled. Salad tastes great after sitting in the fridge for awhile!

We’re still budgeting and we’re still making meals in 30 minutes or less! Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for Chickpeas alla Vodka with Kale! We’ve got another recipe in the series coming this Friday, so don’t miss out!