I think there’s probably several good reasons behind the #Cook90 Challenge. Save money. Eat healthier. Eat together. Explore your culinary creativity. All reasons why I love this challenge. Then I think about the reasons that compel me to want to eat out. Number 1: I don’t want to do dishes or clean-up the kitchen. Good reason! Number 2: I simply want to get out…be in a new environment, around new things, with new people (and some old people too—wink, wink). Also a good reason! And number 3: I’m in a cooking rut and sick of making the same ‘ol same ‘ol. Okay, not a good reason.
We all get the cooking blues and blahs. I’ve so been there. To shake it, I sometimes play a little game that I affectionately call (to myself—because I’ve never outwardly admitted this until now) the cooking alliteration game. Literally. I challenge myself to make a dish with main ingredients that all start with the same letter. This week’s recipe is a result of this silly game, and it’s delicious!
My letter of choice: “F”—inspired by my favorite healthy, hip grain, farro. (Grains, pasta, or greens are often a good ingredient to start the game because they’re highly versatile.) I season the farro with a bunch of aromatics while cooking and then add roasted cauliflower (or broccoli) florets, dried mission figs, and crumbled feta. For good measure, I top it with a little freshness (mint) and some healthy fats (avocado and pistachios). You can see that I stretch the rules a bit, but that’s okay—my kitchen, my rules. It’s your kitchen and your rules too—have fun, break free!
Click here to give my Seasoned Farro with Florets, Feta & Figs a try and tell me what you think!
