Ronnie Fein
Freekeh is a whole grain that fills in for well-known starches such as white rice, noodles and potatoes, but is much lower on the glycemic index than those ingredients. It also has lots of fiber and protein and is a good source of calcium and iron. It’s a variety of wheat, so it is NOT gluten-free. There are several brands available in supermarkets and online; I tried some from Freekehlicious, which sells both whole and cracked freekeh. Freekeh is nutty and toasty tasting.
1 cup wholegrain freekeh
1-3/4 cups water
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
4 chopped scallions
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, preferably flatleaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoon mango juice or orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the freekeh and water in a sauce pan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, stir, cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30-35 minutes or until the grains are tender but still somewhat firm and all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Place the cooked freekeh in a bowl. Add the chicken, dates, pistachio nuts, raisins, mango, scallions, parsley and mint.Toss ingredients gently to distribute them evenly. Combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mango/orange juice and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings
Ronnie Fein
In a “former life” Ronnie Fein was an attorney with a major Wall Street law firm, but she gave it all up to be a food writer and has been writing regular articles for newspapers and magazines for many years now. While Ronnie enjoys eating traditional Jewish food, her real mission is to make creative, modern kosher food as easy to cook as possible for all kosher home cooks. She dedicates her website, Kitchen Vignettes at www.ronniefein.com, to this mission, along with telling personal stories. She is also on Twitter at @ronnievfein and Pinterest, and she writes for several online newspapers and blogs including The Jewish Week and Joyofkosher.com. Ronnie’s fourth cookbook, The Modern Kosher Kitchen, is ready for pre-sales — November 1st delivery in the US.
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