Toasted Farro, Kale, and Hummus Bowl

Immunity Bowl Boost

By: Pam Smith, RDN

Bowls are my favorite new way to pack a meal with immune-boosting power. I made this bowl on Episode 11 of The Pam Smith Flavor Show. All of the elements are delicious separately, but when put together, they really spark. Want to get the flavors that make this meal magical? They’re all available at psflavor.com!

Toasted Farro, Kale, and Hummus Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup farro, toasted

• 1 1/2 teaspoons P.S. Flavor!™ Creole Kitchen, or Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion or shallot

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 2 cups fresh kale, massaged

• Citrus Sherry Vinaigrette, recipe follows

• 1/2 cup Marcona almonds, or sliced toasted almonds

• 1/2 cup dried red tart cherries

• Velvet Hummus, recipe follows (or your hummus of choice)

• 1/2 cup feta cheese, small diced

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

• Fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish, optional

Method

1. Toast farro in dry skillet over medium heat until toasty brown and fragrant. Add 1 teaspoon Creole Kitchen, broth, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Adjust the heat to a simmer and cook for 20-22 minutes until just tender but still al dente. Remove pot from heat, drain well (I reserve the liquid for another use), and let cool to room temperature.

2. To assemble the salad, combine the farro, massaged kale, Marcona almonds, and dried cherries, and toss with Citrus Sherry Vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning to taste.

3. To serve, spoon hummus into large shallow bowl, schmear to cover bottom of bowl. Top with farro mixture. Sprinkle with feta, avocado, and fresh parsley sprigs.
   

Citrus Sherry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar

• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1-2 teaspoons honey

• 1/2 teaspoon P.S. Flavor!™ Creole Kitchen

• 1 tablespoon P.S. Flavor!™ Citrus Spice

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Whisk together the sherry vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, Creole Kitchen, and Citrus Spice, and then drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Adjust seasoning and honey, to taste.

2. Chill until ready to use.
   

Velvet Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)

• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste

• 1 medium-to-large clove garlic, finely chopped

• 2 teaspoons P.S. Flavor!™ Moroccan Spice and/or Kosher salt to taste

• 1/2 cup tahini (I love Soom Foods brand!)

• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Any of the following garnishes: drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of Moroccan Spice or paprika, chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Place the drained chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they’re quite soft.

2. Skim off peelings that have floated to the top, and then drain chickpeas through a fine-mesh strainer. Run cool water over them for about 30 seconds and then set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic, Moroccan Spice, and tahini to the food processor, and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.

4. While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale, and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)

5. Add the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.

6. Taste, and adjust Moroccan Spice, salt, and lemon juice as necessary for your preference, overall flavor or extra zing.

7. Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.