Farro Salad with Swiss Chard, Portobello Mushrooms and Cannellini Beans

Braised tenderloin, escarole, sous vide salmon, swiss chard- all of these roll of the tongue with a polished and slightly obnoxious foodie tone. They could all be possibly found in a Michelin star restaurant or in the belly of a person who takes pride in indulging in exquisite food served in a pristine and classy setting. Why am I suddenly mentioning all this classiness talk? Well, only to tell you being a undergraduate at a large state school, class is far from apparent on a day to day basis. This weekend we had our large blackout football game. After starting the morning with our mailman telling us how he was going to rip "those hick's flag down," I knew the day would only be eventful. It then continued with me needing to use a porta-potty, hopelessly missing (I'll spare the embarrassing details) and coming home to drunkenly clean, do laundry, and pass out on my bed sprawled out in only a towel. My roommate could only laugh at my non-sober state. After my collecting myself and accepting the low point and gross state I was in, I decided to create a dish that was only opposite of my football game day mindset.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup farro
4-5 cups chopped swiss chard (including stems)
1 diced onion
2 large portobello mushrooms (about 3-4 cups)
1 cup of cannellini beans (either from a can or soaked over night)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (note: you can also substitute walnuts or hazelnuts for the pine nuts)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika for seasoning
Optional: truffle oil

Directions:

Cook the farro according to packaging. In a large pan, using either olive oil or cooking spray, begin to sautee the onion. Once the onion has softened, add in the mushrooms.

Allow the mushrooms to cook down until tender. Then add in the swiss chard. Once the chard is lightly wilted, add in the beans to heat them through. Then season the mix with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.

Once all ingredients are done cooking, toss them all together in a large bowl to have the salad come together. To finish, drizzle either truffle oil or olive oil over the salad.

Enjoy!