Maria Faires' Honey and Garlic Roasted Grape Tomatoes with Farro, Feta and Walnuts

Published:  06/10/2018

Research is pointing to the fact that the Mediterranean diet appears to be effective in bringing about long-term changes to cardiovascular risk factors, such as lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure. The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats.

I created this Mediterranean style salad using foods recommended on a Mediterranean diet. Farro is the star in this delicious grain-based side dish. Farro was central to the daily diet of the ancient Romans' Mediterranean diet.

Farro is an ancient whole grain of the wheat species. Farro is considered the original ancestor of all other wheat species "the mother of all wheat.” It is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates. Farro has twice the fiber and protein than modern wheat. In addition to minerals and vitamins, farro is rich in antioxidants (substances that will strengthen your ability to fight infection and disease), phytonutrients (plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties), lignans (are inversely associated with markers of chronic inflammation so they may decrease inflammation) and betaine (helps reduce higher levels of homocysteine and may help protect against harmful fatty deposits in the liver).

In addition to farro, tomatoes also add a major dimension to this salad. Tomatoes are roasted in extra virgin olive oil, a touch of honey and garlic and add flavor and moisture. Chopped walnuts add a nice texture, not to mention incredible health benefits; it would be difficult to overestimate the health benefits associated with this food family! And in this Mediterranean salad, you can't forget about the feta The Greeks loved feta because of it is full of rich flavors so I've included it.

Serves 6 with a half cup serving size.

This is delicious served as a side dish right after making while still at room temperature or served later as a salad side dish.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons honey
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound (about 3 cups) halved cherry or grape tomatoes (Cook's note: Grape tomatoes are smaller by about a half, sweeter, lower in water content and have thicker skin than cherry tomatoes)
  • 3/4 cup uncooked farro, I like to use Trader Joe's 10 minute Farro
  • 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, I like to use sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ teaspoons dry thyme or 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine oil, honey, and garlic in a large bowl. Heat in the microwave 15 seconds if your honey isn't thin. Stir well. Add tomatoes; gently toss tomatoes with the oil and honey until thoroughly coated. Pour tomatoes and all honey and oil mixture onto a small baking sheet with a rim or a metal round cake pan. Set bowl aside to make the salad in later.

Bake tomatoes at 350° for 15 minutes for cherry tomatoes or 10 minutes for grape tomatoes or until wrinkled and soft but not mushy; do not brown. Do not overcook. Remove tomatoes from oven, cool to room temperature.

While tomatoes cook, place farro in a medium saucepan and add 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer according to package directions or until nicely chewy and not puffed open and soft. Set aside to cool.

While tomatoes and farro are cooling, add vinegar, salt, thyme, walnuts and feta to large bowl that

In a large bowl that you saved, mix vinegar, salt, walnuts, feta and thyme in the  and toss gently to combine. When tomatoes and farro are cool, add then to large bowl. Stir.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Mediterranean diet and the incidence of cardiovascular disease: A Spanish cohort". Martínez-González MA, García-López M, Bes-Rastrollo M, Toledo E, Martínez-Lapiscina EH, Delgado-Rodriguez M, Vazquez Z, Benito S, Beunza JJ. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2010 Jan 20.

Rees, K; Hartley, L; Flowers, N; Clarke, A; Hooper, L; Thorogood, M; Stranges, S (12 August 2013)."'Mediterranean' dietary pattern for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.". The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 8: CD009825.

Mitrou PN, Kipnis V, Thiébaut AC, Reedy J, Subar AF, Wirfält E, Flood A, Mouw T, Hollenbeck AR, Leitzmann MF, Schatzkin A (2007-12-10)."Mediterranean dietary pattern and prediction of all-cause mortality in a US population: results from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study". Arch Intern Med 167

Sofi, F; Abbate, R; Gensini, GF; Casini, A (November 2010)."Accruing evidence on benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on health: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.". The American journal of clinical nutrition 92 (5): 1189-96


Categories:   COOKBOOK 

Tags:   #recipes

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