Mangia Con Elena

  Mediterranean Salad with Farro IG: @mangia.con.elena Mediterranean  salad is a classic dish that can be found throughout most Mediterranean countries. The ingredients vary and that is what make this salad so incredibly versatile and delicious. It is made with a combination of fresh seasonal ingredients and marinated vegetables giving it an amazing flavourful palate. It can be paired with a grain or carb such as rice, orzo, couscous, bulgar, quinoa, pasta and  lentils or eaten alone .  For this recipe, I used farro. Farro is an incredibly savoury grain that has been around since ancient times.  It has a delicious nuttiness and a firm texture that pairs well with salads and side dishes. Farro is also an healthy alternative. It is a great source of fiber, protein, iron and magnesium and may contribute to benefiting diabetes and improving heart and brain health. So with all these benefits you might want to give it a try!  I oven roasted zucchini, mini peppers (or whole), shallots (red on

  Arugula and Fennel Winter Salad I can't eat an Italian inspired salad without thinking of my dad.  Salads were a part of every dinner growing up. They were simple and served after the main course and not before as is customary in the North American culture.  In the summer months, when our garden was in full bloom, we had our pick of endive, radicchio, romaine, escarole and leaf lettuce.  My dad loved his garden. He would wake up early and put on his gardening hat and out he went. He would spend all day in the garden. It was his happy place and his refuge when life got tough. He did his best thinking out there. It is where you went if you needed to talk to him because in his garden he was at peace. He had buckets set up all amongst his vegetables so he could sit down and lovingly pick off pesty bugs, prune and water. He would watch them grow. He knew when there were beans missing (because we were known to  sneak in and eat right off the vines) and he knew exactly which plant need