Tuscan Salad with Farro and Fig Tahini Dressing

Tuscan Salad with Farro and Fig Tahini Dressing is hearty and flavourful, loaded with Mediterranean flavours, fibre and protein, and topped with a thick and creamy fig dressing! Add this salad to your meal prep routine for a filling lunch or dinner option.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY VALLEY FIG GROWERS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BOB’S RED MILL. AS ALWAYS, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE BRANDS THAT MAKE CRUMB TOP BAKING POSSIBLE.

I’m so excited to be teaming up with Valley Fig Growers and Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this recipe for Tuscan Salad with Farro and Fig Tahini Dressing. I’m using Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice California Mission Figs and Bob’s Red Mill Organic Farro to create this recipe. And I’m sharing it as part of their January series on meal prepping to help you reach your SMART goals.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based. When it comes to eating a little healthier or a little cleaner, applying these elements to your goals is important for success.

And making time for meal prep is a great way to stay on track to meet your healthy eating goals. I’m a huge proponent of meal prepping, so before I share the recipe for this Tuscan Salad, I thought I would share a few meal prep tips that work for me.

Tips for meal prepping to stay on track:

• Focus on the meal that’s your greatest challenge: It’s not always possible to prep meals and snacks for the entire week, so focus on your greatest pain points. I have time in the morning to cook breakfast, so I tend to focus my meal prep efforts on lunch and dinner, which are busier times of day for me.
• Prep mix and match items: While meal prepping full meals is helpful (i.e. soup, chili), I also like to meal prep specific items that I can mix and match to create different meals throughout the week.
• Meal prep a diverse range of foods: To help mix and match, I like to have a variety of veggies, protein and fibre prepped and ready to go as sides, mains and/or salad toppers. This could include roasted sweet potatoes, cooked chicken or fish, washed and cut veggies, and cooked quinoa or farro.

• Focus on meals that are quick and easy to assemble: If your prepped meal still takes a lot of time to assemble, this defeats the purpose of meal prepping. So focus on preparing ingredients that can be pulled together as a meal in 10-15 minutes.
• Have healthy snacks ready to go: When your stomach starts to growl mid-afternoon, having prepared snacks at your finger tips is essential. Homemade oatmeal muffins or granola bars are great, as are portable fruit such as bananas and apples. I also like to have pre-packaged snacks, such as dried figs, stashed in my purse for hunger emergencies. (You never know when you might get stuck in traffic!)

This Tuscan Salad has been one of my favourite meals to prep lately. All of the ingredients are cooked and prepared ahead of time, which makes it easy to whip up as a quick and hearty salad for lunch or dinner.

Some tips for making Tuscan Salad with Farro and Fig Tahini Dressing:

• The dried figs are soaked in hot water before being puréed into the dressing. This is an important step as it softens the figs and helps create a smooth and creamy texture.
• The dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days. Just give it a stir and add to the salad when ready to serve.
• I purchased pre-washed and chopped kale to save time. Ready to go spinach, arugula or romaine lettuce would also work nicely.
• I enjoy cold farro on this salad, so cooking it in advance and storing it in the fridge works perfectly. If you prefer warm farro, you can still cook it in advance, just re-heat it in the microwave before adding it to the salad.
• You can prepare all of the salad ingredients in advance and assemble when ready to serve. Or assemble the salads in individual containers for grab and go lunches during the week. Just add the dressing when ready to eat.

If you make this Tuscan Salad, I would love to hear about it in the comments below. Or take a pic and share it on Instagram by tagging @crumbtopbaking.

Tuscan Salad with Farro and Fig Tahini Dressing

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 12 reviews

• Author: Leanne
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Lunch; Dinner

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Description

Tuscan Salad with Farro and Fig Tahini Dressing is hearty and flavourful, loaded with fibre and protein, and topped with a thick and creamy fig dressing! Add this salad to your meal prep routine for a filling lunch or dinner option.

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Ingredients

For the fig tahini dressing:

• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup dried figs, Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Mission Figs, stems removed
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

For the tuscan salad:

• 4 cups kale, packed and torn with stems removed
• 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Farro, cooked (about 1 cup uncooked)
• 1 – 540ml can no salt added white kidney beans (or cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 cup dried figs, Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Mission Figs, halved
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted or un-pitted
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

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Instructions

Preparing the fig tahini dressing:

• In a glass bowl, add the hot water and figs. Cover and let soak for 20 minutes.
• Once soaked, add figs, water and the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. This makes about 1 cup of dressing. If you prefer a thinner salad dressing, just add more water until you reach your desired consistency.
• Pour dressing into a jar or glass dish with a lid, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembling the tuscan salad:

• Divide all of the ingredients into 4 bowls and top with dressing when ready to serve.

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Notes

1. You can prepare all of the salad ingredients in advance and assemble when ready to serve. Or assemble the salads in individual containers for grab and go lunches during the week. Just add the dressing when ready to eat.
2. The dressing will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just be sure to stir or shake it before adding it to the salad.
3. The prep time for this recipe includes time for the figs to soak and farro to cook.