There are a few things that baffle me:
- People who replace the “c” with “k” e.g. Kool
- All the hate on Kim Kardashian…or any of the Kardashians for that matter
- Lack of manners
And finally:
- Restaurants that remove a bestseller dish from the menu.
During my summer in London, I must have eaten at least 5-6 meals at NAC (North Audley Cantine), which is located right off Oxford Street. Location aside, the food there is consistently on point.
Although I don’t have a single picture to share, some of NAC’s noteworthy dishes include:
- Smoked Eggplant Toast with Quinoa & Sundried Tomatoes
- Flamed Salmon, Miso, Sake, Peanut Kale
- Torched Cauliflower, Sea Salt, Olive Oil
- Salmon a La Plancha, Field Mushrooms, New Potatoes
- Free Range Grilled Cajun Chicken
- Honey Chocolate French Toast, Red Berries, Vanilla Ice-Cream
Up until NAC removed it from the menu, the one dish that I always ordered regardless of who I was dining with was their Farro Salad with Crushed Avocado, Parmesan, Chili, Mint.
As much as I try to keep up with all these trendy exotic grains, NAC’s salad was my first taste of the whole grain farro. I’m a big fan of its nutty flavor & chewy texture and of course its nutritional profile doesn’t hurt either:
- Like brown rice, farro becomes a complete protein when combined with beans & legumes.
- It’s easily digestible given its low gluten content.
- Farro boasts generous amounts of magnesium which can help relieve tension & menstrual cramps.
- Its lignan content makes it a great source of antioxidants.
- The zinc in farro can help boost immune & cardiovascular health.
- It racks in a decent amount of fibre: 6g per ½ cup dry. Yay for stable blood sugar levels & healthy digestion!
Looks like quinoa is no longer the coolest kid grain on the block ;)! When my lovely cousin in Dubai (thanks again Malika!) recently sent me kilos worth of farro, I just had to try replicating NAC’s farro salad, with a few alterations along the way! Without sounding too modest, I think I came pretty damn close with this Farro Avocado Salad:
Herbs are such an underrated salad ingredient which is a shame as they take the flavour to a whole new level. And I’m sure you’ll agree that the creaminess from avocado does wonders in the texture department. Rather than me try to further convince you how delicious this Farro Avocado Salad is, why not take my word and try it out yourself:
[yumprint-recipe id=’22’]
This Farro Avocado Salad is definitely one of those dishes that make you so grateful for leftovers ;).
What are a few things that baffle you?
What grain/food are you loving lately?
If you have any farro recipes, please link ’em up!
I’ve never heard of farro but it sounds interesting! And how did I never hear about this place when I was in London? Honey chocolate French toast – hello!
If we’re ever in London at the same time again, we will be meeting here :D!
I am a big fan of farro! I love pairing it with feta or goat cheese. YUM!
Mmm both those cheeses can make anything delicious ;)!
I’ve actually never had farro before… and my computer keeps trying to autocorrect it to “faro” 😆 I’m a huge fan of the larger grains that have a heartier and chewier texture, though, so I think I’d love this one! Time to add it to the shopping list…
Let me know what you think, Amanda! Especially if you’re a fan of pearl barley, I think you’d love farro!
Farro is like the one grain I haven’t tried yet – but I don’t want to buy it until I use up some of my other grains. My cupboard is bursting right now!
This salad looks delicious – anything with avocado and herbs is bound to be a winner!
Haha I feel you- I seriously need to do a clean-up of my pantry to discover what packets of grains I actually have opened!
Farro is one of my favorites! I made a farro risotto once…not bad!
YUM! Do share the recipe!!
I’ve never cooked with farro before but now I am going to have to try it out! Looks delicious!
Hope you enjoy it, Sonya :)!
I have tried farro before, it’s really nice and nutty! I am growing herbs on my balcony at the moment and am hoping to put more in salads, you are so right it tastes so good!
I don’t understand all the hate in the Kardashians either – people don’t have to love them and ultimately they aren’t doing any harm… Actually they are very savvy strong business woman and thats to be admired!
I agree about the Kardashians! I think people are just jealous but to be honest, I can’t imagine it being easy to put your life on TV 24/7…that’s something to be applauded for!
I adore this. Farro is one of those underutilized grains which really is fantastic, and the flavors you paired it with are on point.
Pass me a spoon please.
I shall pass you 2 spoons..one for you and another for your bundle of joy :)!
I have yet to try farro – I saw some at Trader Joes this past weekend and was going to buy it but ended up getting quinoa instead. Seeing this salad makes me wanna run back to TJ’s and pick me some up pronto! I love the creaminess of avocado and you are right, herbs are so underrated!
What baffles me are slow drivers in the far left lane!
Ughhh slow drivers and slow walkers…just NO!
I love me some farro! I learned to use herbs in everything when I had to cut salt. You can get SO much flavor from the simplest additions.
Oh for sure- herbs are such an easy way to add flavour to food without affecting the sodium/calorie content!
This looks so good!!! I actually have farro right now I accidentally picked up at Trader Joes instead of quinoa and friends coming for dinner so making this- Thanks for the recipe!
Hope you & Your friends enjoyed it, Arman!