SERVES: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearled farro (2 cups cooked)
• 2 cups dry pinto beans (2 15-ounce cans of pre-cooked beans can be used in place of dry beans)
• ½ onion, minced (red or yellow)
• 1 tomato, diced
• ⅔ cup bell peppers, green and/or red, diced (optional)
• 1 large red apple, diced
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 Tablespoons vinegar (apple cider, wine or golden balsamic)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Directions

1. Cook the Beans (skip this step if using pre-cooked canned beans): To make 6 cups of cooked beans (not just pintos), cover 2 cups dry beans with 3 times their volume of water and let stand in refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. Then in a large saucepan, cover drained, soaked beans with 3 times their volume of fresh water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, adding more water if necessary for about 45 minutes.  Beans are done when they can easily be smashed with the back of a spoon or between your thumb and finger.  Separate 2-3 cups of beans and let the remaining portion (3-4 cups) cool before store in refrigerator.

2. Cook the Farro: Fill a 6-quart pot ¾ of the way full of water and add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Rinse farro in a strainer under cold running water. Drop in the farro, stir and get water to a steady, lively simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 20-30 minutes, or until tender. Drain the farro in a colander.

3. Mix the Salad: Toss cooked farro with minced onion, chopped tomato, chopped apple, peppers, olive oil and vinegar. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Fold in 2-3 cups of the drained, cooked pinto beans and parsley.  Top salad with toasted walnuts.