Fresh Fig and Farro Grain Bowls with Lemon Lavender Vinaigrette.
Fig grain bowls are my ideal September dish!
Okay can you TELL I’m all about fig season? I live for them!
These little juicy jewels that have pops of flavor might just be my favorite fruit. Obviously my fruit favorites change constantly and with the season, but right now, I’m in a full blown fig obsessed. And I’m living for it.
Grain bowls are ridiculously trendy and even I roll my eyes every time I see a new “bowl” recipe. I mean, I may be the first to roll my eyes! However! They are delicious. In fact, I love them more than regular salads because they have so much more satiety to them.
And the other thing I love about them is that you can use tons of leftovers to create a super flavorful bowl on the fly.
That is GOLDEN!
That’s how most of my grain salads/bowls come about. I take whatever is hiding out in my fridge and toss it all together with some quinoa or rice or farro or whatever. Adding in some greens makes me feel better about life. Roasted veg or grilled chicken from the night before. Truly, anything lurking in that fridge that is about to meet its demise? Done for. Going in the bowl.
This bowl took more of a seasonal twist. For me, it’s too early for pumpkin and squash but as of this week, our corn and tomatoes have pretty much bit the dust. First of all, that is basically all I’ve eaten for months. Second, I’ve been searching for recipes to bridge the gap before full-blown comfort food makes an appearance.
The texture of the bowl is perfect. The farro and quinoa have a little chew. Oh oh and. My go-to secret for a grain bowl is to mix the grains! This was life-changing for me – made me love grain bowls ever more and utilize them for lots of meals. The almonds are crunchy. The greens and shallots are a bit crisp. And the cheese is creamy and tangy and smoky. Each bite is perfection.
Because YES.
You could totally do your own twist, use pickled onions instead of raw, walnuts instead of almonds, feta instead of blue cheese. It works!
P.S. I’ve been on a huuuuuge smoked blue cheese kick lately. Hence all the recipes. Feel free to sub in your favorite! And be on the lookout for a delish cauflilower salad coming your way that really allows the blue cheese to shine.
Ooooooh yes.
This vinaigrette is SO good. If you are finding yourself with some leftover herbs, this is the way to use them. A lightly flavored lavender vinaigrette with lots of lemon. The combo isn’t anything new but it is delish. A very slight floral flavor with lots of bright, refreshing lemon is exactly what this bowl needs.
It’s also incredible for a make-ahead meal or lunch. Store it in a jar or bowl and you’re good!
Fig Grain Bowls
Fig and Farro Grain Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked farro
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup arugula microgreens
- pinch of kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 whole figs chopped or sliced
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ¼ cup crumbled blue goat or feta cheese (your choice!)
lemon lavender vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- (As a note, it will take about 15 to 30 minutes to cook your quinoa/farro. You can cook both ahead of time and/or use leftover grains of your choice for this bowl!)In a large bowl, stir together the farro, quinoa, spinach and microgreens. Add a pinch of salt and pepper in and toss again.
- Top with the figs, shallot, almonds and cheese. Drizzle on the lavender lemon dressing and toss it all together. If you grow it/find it, garnish the bowl with a fresh lavender sprig.Serve!
lemon lavender vinaigrette
- In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, lemon zest, lavender, salt and pepper.
- Continue to whisk and stream in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a few days! If desired, you can strain out the dried lavender, but I like to leave them in there!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Pretttty much every bite I want right now.
14 Comments on “Fresh Fig and Farro Grain Bowls with Lemon Lavender Vinaigrette.”
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This salad not only looks beautiful, but sounds like it would taste incredible and so flavorful! I’ve yet to ever use fresh figs, but have always been curious about them, so this salad recipe definitely entices me to try it!
absolutely delicious and perfect for this season:D
Looks delicious! Is this like the grain bowl you posted in Michigan?
Where does one buy good fresh figs in the midwest? I get excited every time I see them at the grocery store and think THIS will be the time I get a good one, but every one I’ve ever found tastes like meh, vaguely sweet and kinda grassy. I live in Columbus, so it’s not like there aren’t major grocery stores with produce from all over here. Is there a trick to picking good ones?
This looks so good! I can’t wait to try this!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
★HoMe★PrOfiT★SysTem
These fig grain bowls are healthy and delicious a great way to keep your energy level at its peek. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
I am going to make this today! Ugh it looks so good – I can’t wait! And love the idea of mixing grains. Not sure why I never thought of that before!
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Holy God, this is delicious. Made with wheatberries instead of farro because that’s what I had. This has become a staple.
This looks like a healthy choice for the diet. The recipe looks very easy to me because you can substitute the ingredients to our preference and/or availability.
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Will it Totally change the taste of the salad if I leave the lavender out?