Everything Purple Farro-Lentil Salad

Today's recipe is loaded with ANTHOCYANINS and POLYPHENOLS. Got that? Phew! Big names, but with big nutritional benefits and great flavor. What's not to love?

I want to eat this right now! Not all of it, but a lot!

The purple in my salad comes from ingredients with anthocyanins, the component in blueberries that you're hearing about these days, which is showing up as a brain-booster in medical studies. Click here to link to an NIH study about these nutrition good guys. Just read the "abstract" to get an idea of what they can do. For an easier read, try this Cleveland Hospital guide to Anthocyanins--among other benefits, they can help to lower blood pressure and slow the progression of cancer growth. Ask my husband how his daily beet juice shots have helped with his heart health. Blueberries, pomegranates, radicchio, red onion, purple cabbage...can you think of a few more?

Polyphenols live long and prosper in extra-virgin olive oil and cacao beans. That's all I need to know, especially as a Greek who eat in the Greek Way. As I understand it, polyphenols help to clean up oxidation and free radicals in our bodies, and if the foods they live in taste great, why wouldn't you want to eat foods containing these delightfully hard-working health buddies? Olives, olive oil, dark chocolate, coffee, tea...you get it.

With today's post, you'll get three recipes--Farro, Lentils and my Everything Purple Salad. Want? This is how to cook farro and lentils so you can customize and make your own culinary creation. Click here for the basics and the Everything Purple Salad recipe.

Visual instructions to clarify recipes:

Soaking the lentils and farro breaks down cell walls and speeds up cooking time

Beautiful farro

French lentils are cooked and drained.

Chopping is not refined. Just don't cut into big chunks and
definitely don't pulverize.

Use your knife to cut the walnut halves.

Slice the raddichio in large pieces, not a chiffonade.

This is how easy it is to toast sesame seeds. Use a small non-stick pan over high heat.
Stir with a wooden spoon to keep them from burning. As soon as you smell
the toasted sesame and the seed begin popping, turn off the heat and
pour directly onto the lentil/farro mix.