From "Meh" to "Yeh"

Once Chris was on board with veganism he enthusiastically explored other types of foods. On his weekly excursion to Costco, he came upon a grain that he had never tasted before, farro. Farro is grown in Italy and has a nutty, brown rice-like  texture. He came upon "Farro Pilaf"recipe at the following website: http://tastefoodblog.com/2012/07/25/farro-pilaf-recipe/ (Note: Chris excludes all oils, dairy products, and meats from the original recipe). The dish was tasty with a hint of lemon and I would have been happy if he added it to his recipe "quiver". But due to the lemon zest, our teenage daughter, Mikae, gave it a resounding, "Meh", which translates to, "I will eat it but if you serve it on one of my bad days I will be most displeased."

Undaunted, Chris modified the recipe to exclude the lemon zest but include acorn squash and kale. The day after he served his "Farro with Acorn Squash and Kale" dish, Mikae was looking for the leftovers. That recipe became a keeper.

Ingredients
1/2  acorn squash
1/2 chopped onion
3 T chopped garlic
1 c farro
2 1/4 c vegetable broth
2 oz tomato paste
2 T honey
1 1/2 T  cumin
1/4 t paprika
salt and pepper to taste
 1 chopped bunch of kale

Instructions
1) Bake the acorn squash half without oil for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Chris put the cut side up.
2) In the mean time, in a large frying pan, saute onion and garlic without oil until onions are translucent. Use a little water to prevent onions from sticking to pan.
3) Add farro to the onion and garlic. Toss around at medium heat for a minute or two.
4) Add broth, paste, honey, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper
5) Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes.
6) Cut up cooked squash into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes.
7) Toss in squash and kale with farro mixture. Mix well.
Ready to serve