The belles were recently in Charleston at the Southern Coterie conference.  We learned so much…especially that we have so much more to learn!! We made some super connections, a plethora of friends, and discovered some amazing people and products. Thank you #thesouthernc!!

One such find was Hummingbird Fine Foods. During one of the breaks, Vaughn of Hummingbird Fine Foods offered up a taste  of her farro salad. Want a taste thrill?  Then make sure you order the Champagne Vinaigrette…we aren’t kidding!

All joking aside…at least for this sentence…we take our salads and dressings very seriously.  We always prefer our own to bottled.  Until now, there has been only ONE  bottled vinaigrette that we like equally as our own…that would the be the French Poodle Vinaigrette which we told you about here.   We are by no means bragging…well maybe just a little…but if we can make it better, why buy it?  Until now.

This vinaigrette is tangy, tasty, and citrusy, with the perfect balance of flavors. It requires no tweaking…wow, we can’t believe we just said that!!

This recipe from Vaughn herself is super-easy and adjusts easily to your mood.  Feel free to use goat cheese or blue cheese, add avocado, green onions or whatever strikes your fancy or is filling your larder…

Summer Farro Salad

Serves 4

1 cup farro, rinsed

2 cups baby arugula

1/2 cup yellow or orange pepper, diced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1/2 cup red onion diced

1 cup cucumber, diced

2 T chopped parsley

1/2 cup crumbled feta

2 T chopped basil

Lemon slices and salt and pepper to taste

Hummingbird Fine Foods Champagne Vinaigrette to taste

Cook farro according to package directions, drain and cool completely.  We made a big batch so we could have it on hand to recreate this dish quickly all week.

Transfer farro to a large bowl and add arugula, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and basil. Sprinkle with feta, salt and pepper, drizzle with vinaigrette and gently toss to coat. Be careful, you don’t want to break up the feta crumbles! Garnish with lemon slices and enjoy.

the finished product