Apple Almond Farro Salad

This vegan apple almond farro salad makes an ideal fall lunch or side dish. Nutty farro is tossed with crisp diced apples, sliced scallions, toasted almonds, chewy dried currants, and a sweet 'n' tangy apple-almond vinaigrette. The result is a salad with an abundance of texture and an addictive balance of sweet and salty flavors.

When you're pregnant, new variables emerge in your life. A few of them are welcomed additions but many others are well... a bit of a nuisance.

Now, please, don't mistake my playful attitude here for ingratitude.

Despite its very minor challenges, pregnancy continues to inspire an immense amount of gratitude and appreciation within me.

Appreciation for the magnificent orchestration that my body has engaged in to sustain and grow a little human—never before have I been so in awe of the body's ability to know exactly what to do (all while I remain consciously clueless). Gratitude for the ease and effortlessness with which this all happened. Adoration and love for the wriggly little kick boxer who has so trustingly chosen to grow within my very own belly.

Along with all this goodness though, does come a quirky set of consequences which need tending to, including...

A swiftly growing belly...

....that requires me to slather oil on it 2–3 times per day in order to keep it from becoming a source of itchy distress.

...that makes me feel very much like a turtle stuck on its back when I attempt to get out of bed to relieve my quickly shrinking bladder 3–5 times per night. Seriously, not even an exaggeration—three pees/night = a very good night.

...that now demands all of my t-shirts contain side ruching (or risk exposing the lower half of my belly like a gentleman who has enjoyed years of plentiful beer consumption).

...that's increasingly squishing a few sorta important organs. You know, like my lungs, my stomach, and my guts in general.

Random but insatiable urges to nest at inopportune times...

...that require me to STOP everything immediately to organize the gluten-free flours in our pantry. Because what if those weren't organized?! What would the baby think?!

...that cause me to halt a recipe photo-shoot without warning to strip our guest room bedding and wash it immediately because there was one tiny spot on it and how is this condo ever going to be suitable to raise a baby if our guest room bedding (which won't even be here once she arrives) has one tiny spot on it?!

...that inspire sympathy nesting sessions in my sweet husband with such intensity he's compelled to proudly declare, "I'm nesting like a motherf*cker."

A slew of new social rules and routines and what-not-to-do's...

...that inspire a small amount of neurotic fear/guilt every time I engage in a slightly "risky" activity, such as [insert most fun and exciting activities here, including drinking coffee, bowling, wearing my non-hippy fancy foundation, and accidentally sleeping on my back because well... gravity].

...that cause way too many non-pregnant humans to forget the hula-hoop rule of personal space and encroach on my belly with paws open and eyes ablaze.

...similarly, that cause non-pregnant humans to forget that, pregnant or not, it's never appropriate to comment on the size of another human's belly.

...that conjure up a swath of inspiring quotes and unsolicited tidbits from self-nominated parenting experts (e.g., "You're tired now? Ha! Just wait..." "I certainly hope you don't deprive your child of cow's milk because you're vegan. It's necessary for healthy bone development." ←Riiight, because one mammal needing to consume another randomly selected mammal's milk for survival makes a whole lot of biological sense).

...that require attendance at 14 doctor's appointments in 9 months time, but which brings about the lovely secondary consequence of regular visits to Whole Foods' salad bar on the drive home.

And through that last point right there ↑ is how we've found our way here to this apple almond farro salad...

I know, a long, winding, and unexpected path, but hopefully an entertaining one nonetheless.

After many a trip to Whole Foods' (WF) salad bar over the last several months (always a nice reward after a doctor's appointment), I decided it was about time to create a WF-esque fall salad from the comforts of home.

It took a bit of hemming and hawing and swapping of ingredients to land on this combination, but it's entirely worthy of WF-salad-bar status.

Plus, it's super easy to make, nutritious, can be prepared in advance to enjoy throughout the week, and requires just 9 ingredients.

Let's have a look at the goodness, shall we?

Nutty farro is tossed with crisp diced apples, sliced scallions, toasted almonds, chewy dried currants, and a sweet 'n' tangy apple-almond vinaigrette.

The result is a salad with an abundance of texture and an addictive balance of sweet and salty flavors. 

This apple almond farro salad makes an excellent fall side dish but is plenty hearty to be enjoyed on its own as a light lunch. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

📖 Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Apple Almond Farro Salad

This vegan apple almond farro salad makes an ideal fall lunch or side dish. Nutty farro is tossed with crisp diced apples, sliced scallions, toasted almonds, chewy dried currants, and a sweet 'n' tangy apple-almond vinaigrette. The result is a salad with an abundance of texture and an addictive balance of sweet 

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed
• 3 cups filtered water
• 2 medium crisp red apples (e.g., honeycrisp, pink lady, etc.), cored and diced
• 1 bunch scallions, well-trimmed and thinly sliced
• ½ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted*
• ⅓ cup dried currants, raisins, or dried cranberries
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup pure apple juice
• 2 tablespoons natural almond butter, stirred well before measuring*
• 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons Bragg's Aminos or Tamari, to taste

Instructions

• Add the rinsed farro and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Strain off excess water. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, prepare the apples, scallions, almonds, and currants, and add them to a large serving bowl. Once the farro has cooled slightly, add it to the serving bowl, too.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, apple juice, almond butter, and aminos/tamari. Pour over the farro mixture and toss to coat.
• Serve.
• This salad is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

*No Nuts? No Problem. To keep this salad nut-free, swap out the sliced almonds for sunflower seeds and the almond butter for sunflower butter.