Vegetable and Grain Health Bowls

Name: Vegetable and Grain Health Bowls
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 cup quick cooking farro or barley; 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed; 1 medium carrot, peeled & shaved; ½ lb. Cremini mushrooms, cleaned & sliced; 3 TBSP. Kosterina extra virgin olive oil; 2 small garlic cloves, chopped; 1 TBSP. fresh thyme, chopped; ½ cup Greek Feta cheese, crumbled; 4 TBSP. Kosterina extra virgin olive oil; 2 TBSP. lemon juice; 1 tsp. lemon zest; ½ TBSP. shallots, minced; ½ tsp. sea salt; ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

By Marilena Leavitt

Vegetable and Grain Health Bowls

About this recipe:

These bowls are our go-to meal for lunch, dinner (and anything in between) in the Kosterina household. Feel free to substitute any veggies for your own favorites, though ours are mushrooms right now!

Ingredients

1 cup quick cooking farro or barley
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed
1 medium carrot, peeled & shaved
½ lb. Cremini mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
3 TBSP. Kosterina extra virgin olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 TBSP. fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup Greek Feta cheese, crumbled

For the Vinaigrette:

4 TBSP. Kosterina extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ TBSP. shallots, minced
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions

Cook the farro in a pot of salted water, following the instructions on the package. About 4-5 minutes before the farro is ready, add the green beans.
While the farro and the green beans are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a large bowl. When the cooked ingredients are ready, add them to the vinaigrette while they are still warm.
Peel and shave the carrot. Add it to the bowl as well and stir gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning and, if necessary, drizzle with some more Kosterina olive oil.
Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the sliced mushrooms. Dry-sauté them for a couple of minutes and once the mushrooms release their liquid, add the three tablespoons of olive oil then season with some salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes and, once they begin to brown, add the garlic and the fresh thyme. Cook briefly and remove from the heat.
Arrange the marinated farro, green beans and carrots in a large serving bowl. Top with the mushrooms and the crumbled Greek Feta.

Author notes

The leftovers make an excellent lunch the next day. Each component of this recipe is interchangeable: you can substitute the green beans with fresh peas, the carrot ribbons with sautéed zucchini ribbons and the mushrooms with corn, or with any other vegetable you might have on hand.