Freaky Salad

This salad was a little freaky…..well, to be more correct, freekeh.

Freekeh, also known as farik, is a grain that is made from green wheat. While ancient in origins, it is starting to become more widely known. With having three times the fiber as brown rice and fewer calories than another “superfood” quinoa, this versatile grain is findings its way into a number of recipes.

I recently had the opportunity to try some for the first time and it was far from…..freaky – it was delicious!

A beautiful summer salad with lots of great flavors and textures. The freekeh has a nutty flavor that really comes out in a salad like this.

I started with a recipe card, but modified it a bit, so will try to recreate it here. My local grocery has an olive bar and while I am not a fan of olives (over two years of recipes here and not one olive used), the bar has other great stuff like marinated peppers, mozzarella pearls, sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic. I put them all into this recipe.

Freekeh Foods sent me over a few of their packages to try. For this recipe I used their Original. In future recipes you’ll see the tamari and rosemary sage seasoned ones.

This is a very easy salad to make. You simply cook the freekeh like rice. (Put into a pot with wage, boil, then simmer). Then add anything you wish.

Freaky Freekeh Salad

Serves 8 as a side dish

(based on the Mediterranean Freekeh Salad)

1 (8 oz) pkg. cracked freekeh (about 1 cup) (use Original or Rosemary Sage) 2 1/2 – 3 cups water or vegetable broth 1 15oz can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes, diced ⅓ cup roasted red peppers, diced 6 roasted garlic cloves, thinly sliced ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped sunflower seeds, lightly toasted in olive oil 2 – 3 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon pearled fresh mozzarella balls, halved marinated hot peppers, sliced

Add the following seasonings to taste: sea salt, olive oil, oregano, black pepper

Cook Freekeh according to package instructions. When cooked, put into strainer and rinse with cold water to cool then drain. Once freekeh is cool, in a large bowl, add all other ingredients. Add more seasoning to taste. Serve room temperature.