Prosciutto and Spinach Farro Salad

So in my "I'm trying to be healthy, y'all" (I don't actually say y'all but here it seems appropriate) kick, I've decided to try new grains. And so I introduce you to farro! If you aren't familiar with the chewy delicious little grain, from Wikipedia: "Farro is a food product composed of the grains of certain wheat species in whole form. The exact definition is debated. It is sold dried and is prepared by cooking in water until soft, but still crunchy (many recommend first soaking overnight). It may be eaten plain, though it is often used as an ingredient in dishes such as salads and soups. It is sometimes ground into flour and used to make pasta or bread."

Basically farro is a bit like risotto meets brown rice. It takes a while to cook, but it has this great chewy flavor. Like al dente brown rice.

So playing off of the farro theme, I thought I'd go Italian. See, I guess that farro used to feed the Roman legions. Yeah, I don't know. But yeah, go Italian. And prosciutto, tomato and mozzarella reminds me of Italy, for seemingly obvious reasons. And I threw in spinach to make it all healthy.

This meal was really good warm, but honestly even better as a cold salad. So if you make this, it will be even better the next day as a lunch or dinner.

So enjoy the ancient farro and all the luscious Italian flavors. And feel healthy and awesome.

Spicy Tomato Soup

So after the holidays come two different thoughts. One is ohmygodIatesomuchfoodIneedtopurge and then I also think itissocoldIwantcomfortfood. And as you can see purge normally =/= comfort food. But soups can be that balance of healthy and comfort food.

On cold nights, I find that smoothly spicy food can be the best treat. And I'm not talking really "scald your mouf" spicy, but that warm your belly spicy. And this soup hits that mark. The spice will hit the back of your throat and warm you through. It is also nice and light. There is no cream or butter in this recipe. But you won't miss it. 

So I hope while you all are recovering from the holidays and all the glorious delicious food that comes with it, you'll enjoy this soup with maybe a salad and call it a great meal and a great night.