Asian edamame, corn, and farro salad

I’m always looking for new side dishes to try with my main meals. And since I love Asian flavors, whenever I find a recipe incorporating those types of ingredients, I jump right in and try it.

This edamame, corn, and farro salad I found on Subee’s Kitchen blog is perfect for the summer with the addition of corn and edamame, but still great during the colder months because the farro brings a little more heartiness to the dish.

ASIAN EDAMAME, CORN, AND FARRO SALAD
Servings: 4 as a main dish, and 10-12 as a side dish

Ingredients:
1 12-oz. package frozen shelled edamame
3 cups frozen corn
½ cup Craisins
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
½ cup scallions (both green and white parts), chopped
½ cup toasted sesame oil
3 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cooked pearled farro
1 small squeeze of agave nectar or honey (optional)

Directions:

1. To make 1 cup of cooked farro, you’ll need ½ cup pearled farro, 3 cups of water, and 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt. Rinse the farro in a bowl of cold water, and then drain in a small-holed colander. In a medium saucepan, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil. Add kosher salt and rinsed farro. Cover the pan and turn heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain farro into a colander and set aside to cool.
2. When ready to put together the salad, mix the frozen edamame, corn, and Craisins in a large bowl.
3. While the corn and edamame are thawing, you can toast the pecans. To toast the pecans, place them in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking occasionally, until fragrant. The pecans can burn fast, so make sure you pay attention to them. When done toasting, set aside to cool.
4. Add the cilantro and scallions to the bowl, along with pecans.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, rice vinegar, and kosher salt.
6. Pour the mixture over the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.
7. Add the farro (and if you’d like a little more sweetness, a small squeeze of agave nectar or honey) and stir until completely mixed together.

Please note: This salad tastes best if made ahead of time so that you can let the flavors mix together.