Pork Grain Bowl – A Kitchen Savenger Hunt

Pork Grain Bowl is a healthy recipe made with farro, diced pork, and chopped veggies tossed with a mustard & chive vinaigrette.

Pork Grain Bowl

Origin of the Grain Bowl

I love the creative process of cooking. There are those times when you find a recipe that works perfectly, as written. But to be honest, there are very few recipes I haven’t tweaked a little, and sometimes, a lot.  At other times, the recipe serves as inspiration. That’s the case with this Pork Grain Bowl recipe. It started with an article I spotted in the Sunday Parade magazine called How to Make the Perfect Grain Bowl at Home.

I am a big fan of different kinds of grain – quinoa, barley, brown rice, kamut, you name it. After seeing this article, I dug though the pantry to see what I had on hand. I was pleased to find some farro. If you haven’t cooked with farro in the past, it’s a wonderful nutty grain, somewhat similar in size to barley. It also provides 7 grams of protein per serving, which is always a bonus.

I continued my scavenger hunt in the frig, coming up with a variety of veggies, some lemon & chive vinaigrette, I’d made for another meal, and the leftover pork from the Pork Tenderloin – Easy Family Meal. I have a basil plant growing in the kitchen window and chives growing outdoors, so those became the selected herbs. Of course you can substitute whatever herbs you’d prefer.  The sunflower seeds were also on hand, as was some goat cheese. Feta would be another great option (which would pair nicely with the addition of some Kalamata olives.)

As you can see, this is a very flexible recipe which can include whatever grain, veggies, dressing and meat you have available. Or make it meatless, for a great vegetarian option.  The link above has a few more grain bowl suggestions you can also check out. Happy creating and healthy eating!

Pork Grain Bowl

Pork Grain Bowl is a healthy farro, diced pork & veggie combination tossed with Mustard Chive Vinaigrette and topped with sunflower seeds

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Course: Main Course

Keyword: 30 minute meal, farro, grain bowl, mustard chive vinaigrette

Servings: 2 servings

Author: Cathy of ItsThyme2Cook

Ingredients

Pork Gain Bowl

• 1/2 cup uncooked farro
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped cooked pork tenderloin
• 1/3 cup halved yellow or red cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 large radish chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or other herb of choice
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons shelled salted sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons Mustard & Chive Vinaigrette see recipe below
• salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

Mustard & Chive Vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar I used rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup canola or olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly snipped chives

Instructions

Pork Grain Bowl

• Simmer farro in water, adding a dash a salt, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until done (it should still be somewhat firm or “toothy”.) Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Combine farro, pork, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, herbs and sunflower seeds. Toss with vinaigrette and add salt & pepper to taste. Top with feta or goat cheese.

Mustard & Chive Vinaigrette

• Combine all ingredients in a jar with tight fitting lid and shake to combine. Yields more than required for Pork Grain Bowl, but is also great on roasted chicken, steamed green beans or boiled baby potatoes.

Notes

Inspired by Build Your Own Grain Bowl at Home article in April 24th Parade Magazine + Women’s Day March 2016 Mustard & Chive Vinaigrette recipe.