Oh, hello summer. So nice to see you again! When the weather turns hot, I can’t be bothered with cooking hot things (well, to excess). I was first introduced to this mango salsa recipe sans farro years ago as a topping for grilled salmon (absolutely delicious), and since then have enjoyed it over chicken, shoveling it in my face with chips, and now as a light salad. This is a perfect picnic or potluck contribution and will keep for a few days. You can easily make this dish gluten-free by dropping the farro. I haven’t tried it with quinoa, but I imagine it would be equally delicious.

Mango Salsa Salad with Farro

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 1 cup farro grain
• 2 cups water
• 2 mangoes, cubed
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 minced jalapeño
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil (Try a basil infused olive oil)
• cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the farro first by salting water and cooking according to the packet instructions (usually covered for 30 minutes or until moisture has been absorbed), then set aside to let cool. The farro can be made even a few days ahead of time, particularly because it’s better cool. (AKA time saver and multi-purpose!)

While the farro cools, combine the mangoes, onions, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro and stir. Add in olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. I’ve used traditional olive oil historically, but traded it in for basil-infused olive oil and it made a world of difference! Experiment with a few different infused oils for varied flavor.

Once the farro has cooled, mix in with mango salsa and salt/pepper to taste. That’s it! I’ll call this “medium effort” because you do have to make up a grain, but this side fish is almost as easy as they come.