Lighten up Lunch: Travel Wine & Dine's Warm Winter Salad

I'm trying to lighten up my meals now that the holidays are over.  More whole grains, veggies & fruits.  Fewer processed and refined foods.

The first couple days of re-training myself to eat healthfully are always difficult.  It's like breaking an addiction, and I need all the help I can get.  I threw out a lifeline on twitter, and asked for recipe reccos.  I was so excited when I received these recommendations from Pam at Cave Cibum, Kim at Lighter and Local, Sarah at Semi-Sweet, and Meghan at Travel Wine and Dine.

They all sounded great - and I'm hoping to try a few more of them.  But for this first recipe I went with Meghan's warm winter salad - believe it or not I had roasted beets already sitting in my fridge....and almost all of the other ingredients (with a few substitutions).

Instead of spinach, I used some lacinato kale, and instead of wheat berries I used farro.

 Warm Winter Salad 

Adapted from Meghan at Travel, Wine, and Dine

2 cups Lacinato Kale

1 large beets, roasted, peeled, and chopped into half moons

1 cup shelled walnuts

1/2 cup farro, prepared according to package directions

1/2 container plain greek yogurt 

juice of 1/2 orange

1 tsp each brown sugar and cayenne pepper

I already had some roasted beets in my fridge, so I took those out and sliced them up according to the directions.  Then I washed my kale, removed the rib, and cut it into a thick chiffonade.  I then put it in a steamer basket just to soften the leaves.  I put the walnuts in a cast iron pan to toast, and when they were nearly done sprinkled them with olive oil and a combination of brown sugar, cayenne, and a sprinkle of salt.

In a clean jar I mixed the orange juice and Greek yogurt, and assembled everything in a plastic container to take for my lunch.

Yes, that is one of my kitchen tips - I learned from Rafe and his mom.  Save your extra glass jars: mustard, jelly, etc.  You can use them to easily mix dressing.

This dressing is so fresh tasting with the orange juice - I'm sorry I never thought to do this!  And I love the play of the bitter greens and the natural sweetness of the beets.  Oh, and if you head to Meghan's page, you will see that she calls for 1 cup of walnuts for 2 people.  I made 1 cup but only put 1/2 a cup on my salad.  The other half went in my belly. Those things are addictive.....

But its still better than chocolate turtle pie, right?