As spring is finally coming around here in Minnesota (I can Finally see my grill after a record breaking snow fall last month). I decided to celebrate by making a this extremely health, but delicious salmon and farro salad. There is something about fresh grilled vegetable that make them taste great, and the lemon glaze on the salmon make it  great tasting fish even better. Topped with the lemon thyme vinaigrette and sliced almonds is the prefect way to finish the dish.

​Farro is a great ancient grain that is making a comeback. It is not gluten-free since it is derived from wheat. Farro is a great source of fiber and protein and has a great nutty flavor. It is a great substitute for rice, barley and other grains in salads, side dishes and soups.

A nice change from the usual pasta and potato based picnic salads is this delicious chilled asian wild rice salad. this a great recipe to use up leftover rice from your dinner you might have and it has majority ingredients that most homes have already in the pantry. I has a a great balance the the soy sauce and brown sugar build off each other. This recipe increases the flavor the colder the salad gets so i recommend at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

The first thing is to cook the rice according to the packaging. you are wanting to have about 2 cups of cooked rice for each rice for this recipe. I have found if you are in a huge time crunch with both the cooking and refrigerating time, you can use those single serve packaging of cooked rice and the recipe does actually turn out pretty well also.

The next thing is you want to cut all of the ingredients that will be going into the salad. I like to cut everything a little different just got different textures for the whole mouth feel. I like to keep it simple with the carrots, water chestnuts and green onions, you can for sure change and add more to the salad.

Add the mayonnaise, brown sugar, soy sauce and the ground ginger in a large bowl. Mix until you get a smooth dressing for the salad.

Add the cooled rices and vegetables to the large bowl and mix until all of the rice is coated and refrigerate the salad for about 3 hours for full flavor.

Check the flavor before serving and salt if needed, a lot of different soy sauces have different sodium contents so the salt content in the salt will vary quite a bit.

Israeli Couscous is an ingredient that is commonly mistaken as a grain, but it is actually a type of pasta as it is made with wheat. Unlike normal pasta salad that will keep soaking up liquid until the pasta noodles will just fall apart and the salad is unpleasant to look at and soggy mess, Israeli Couscous wont soak up any of the dressing and will keep the perfect Al dente texture. The flavors of the creamy pesto style dressing and the roasted vegetables make a great powerful flavor that will keep everyone coming back for more. Check out the recipe below and don't forget to share with your friends and family.

Israeli couscous can be found in about every grocery store in my area. Cook the Couscous  in simmering water like the package directions state, drain and run under cold water to cool the pasta down quickly and let drain until everything else is ready.

Cut all of the vegetables up into small bit size pieces and toss with oil and spread over a thin layer on oiled sheet pans. Bake in a 475 degree oven until everything is fully cooked and roasted. Make sure to stir half way through to make sure both sides get caramelized.

Add the basil, olive oil, garlic and mayonnaise to the food processor. Puree until everything is well combined and smooth. salt and pepper to taste.

Add everything to  a large bowl and mix until well combined. This salad can be made a few days a head of time without any issues, Just remix before serving.