This post was created in partnership with Nuts.com.
Do you guys do spring cleaning? Stronger sun and longer days motivate me to clean and organize like nothing else. Winter tends to put me in a hibernation mode, when coziness is the number one priority, and certain corners of the house get neglected. But come spring, and I feel awake and ready to take action once again. I want the house to feel light and airy, and as uncluttered as possible, as if to reflect the quality of the light outside. This is when I love tackling our closets with a super critical eye. If something hasn’t been worn for more than a few months (and if it’s not a specifically seasonal item), it gets donated. Same with any and all tchotchkes that have no sentimental value, and Paloma’s forgotten toys.
My approach to cleaning and organizing my pantry is a little different. I try to get rid of as little as possible, and instead, I look for ways to creatively use up what I find. The things that mostly clutter up my pantry are small baggies of bulk grains, beans, or spices that aren’t enough to take up real estate in a whole glass jar. They usually get tucked away somewhere in the back corner of the drawer, and then forgotten. So my thought is, maybe you ran into a similar problem this spring? And maybe you found some farro in the back of your pantry? Or maybe you just have a jar of farro proudly displayed on your kitchen shelf? Or (this is the last ‘or’, I promise), you’ve never tried farro, but you really want to. My point is, you should make these farro cakes this spring!
I think the one point that everyone in the otherwise polarized world of food and health agrees on is that eating a variety of whole foods and plenty of fiber is generally good for you. It makes total sense. But I also think that it’s really easy to get stuck eating the same thing over and over again. When it comes to grains, our family sometimes gets fixated on rice as our grain of choice for all meals. I often need to remind myself that there’s a whole world of other delicious, nourishing grains out there that work just as well for everyday meals. Take these simple farro cakes for example. I would normally reach for rice to make them, because I know that rice is easy to cook, gloriously starchy, and gets those perfectly crispy edges when baked. But farro (an ancient wheat variety) has all the same properties! Plus, it’s pleasantly nutty and a great source of fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, etc. It scores high on those variety points, too.
The farro that I used for this recipe comes from our awesome partner, Nuts.com. If you love to cook/eat/snack, you will love their family-owned online shop. They carry pretty much every dry/bulk ingredient you have ever dreamed of, all carefully sourced and thoughtfully packaged. Their farro is organic, grown in Washington State, and so delicious. Other recipes that I’m excited to make with their farro are our Bukhara Farro Pilaf and this insane Creamy Vegan Farrotto. Hope you enjoy the cakes :)
- 3 cups cooked farro (from 1 cup uncooked)
- 10 oz frozen and thawed or fresh peas
- ½ cup flax meal
- about 1 packed cup cilantro leaves - roughly chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves - minced
- juice and zest from 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoons melted neutral coconut oil or other oil of choice
- Preheat oven to 475° F (245° C).
- Combine the farro, peas, flax meal, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and zest, nutritional yeast, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse to combine into a chunky mixture. Transfer into a bowl and let rest for 30 minutes to allow the flax to bind everything together.
- Prepare a parchment paper-covered baking tray. Use a ½ cup measure to form one farro cake at a time, arranging them on the prepared tray. Flatten the cakes slightly with the back of a spoon if needed/if your measuring cup shape it tall. Brush the cakes with half of the coconut oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the underside is golden. Start checking at 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and carefully flip the cakes (if your cakes seem to be falling apart while flipping, let them rest a couple of minutes before flipping; they will firm up quickly).
- Brush the other side of the cakes with the rest of the oil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until golden and crispy. Serve right away with cashew cream or another sauce of choice, and/or a side salad.
thefolia says
These look as crispy as cookies! Happy spring cleaning and feasting.
Anya says
Thank you :)
lau ech says
It looks really nice with these cilantro leaves!!
Anya says
Thanks you!
Natalie Ellis says
wow! I’ve never heard this before. It looks so crispy and healthy ?
And the cashew cream is a perfect match!
Anya says
Thank you Natalie! Cashew cream is so good on everything :)
Claire says
Hmmm… I wonder if I could substitute a pseudo-grain like quinoa or millet instead of the farro, as grains are harder for me to digest. Would it fall apart do you think? Thanks for the lovely recipes!!
Anya says
Hi Claire,
I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t say for sure, but I think that millet could work here! Just make sure to process it nicely in a food processor so it makes quite a sticky mixture, and definitely let it sit for at least 30 min to allow for the flax to bind everything together. Let me know how it goes if you try it :)
Caolonkhoemanh says
It’s look so delicious! i will try ur recipes^^