My week started off with me eating stale rolos at a dive bar while drinking tequila soda (top shelf!) and playing Mario Kart on a massive flat screen TV, how's your life going?

Let's just get past that.

Are we past that?

Cool.

Kale.

Cool. Kale. Cool.

I've been eating a lot of kale because, well, reread that first sentence. I'm in need of some health in my life and whenever I have a bite of kale or go for a five minute run I feel pretty great about myself. For the record, today I went on a TEN minute run and had at least five bites of kale. Kale AND farro. Do I get a reward?

Anyhow, for those of you cute bb girls that aren't on the farro train, well, let me get you on it. You should know about farro if for no other reason that it's another way to eat carbs. It's also, however, packed with a hearty wheat flavor, some pretty dope health benefits, and has the same bouncy chewy texture as barley that makes it really fun to eat. I've thrown it in this salad to help break up the slight mushiness that comes from the roasted vegetables and goat cheese. I've also gone and added some wasabi peas because I was at the Mecca (Whole Foods) and saw wasabi peas and thought that sounds like a tiiiiiight addition. And it is. Crunchy. Hot. Yum. There's a recipe for you girls below, enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetable + Farro Salad

serves 4 - 6

2 heads of Lacinto, or Dino, Kale, chopped into desired size
1 large beet, peeled
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 cup uncooked pearled farro
1 cup chicken stock (plus or minus 1/2 cup - explanation for this in the recipe below)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup wasabi peas
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 large lemon, juiced + sliced lemon for garnish

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 400* F.
Chop the carrots and beets into somewhat uniform cubes, so that they roast evenly. Place them in a roasting pan and toss with 1/4 c olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the farro by placing it in a small pot and adding the chicken stock until it is just covered. You may need a little more or a little less than one cup of chicken stock, depending on the size of the pot you are using. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for half an hour. Drain excess liquid and set the cooked farro aside until completely cooled.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 c olive oil and lemon juice. Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped kale, and fresh parsley and give it all a quick toss. Add the cooled vegetables and farro and toss again. Top with the goat cheese and wasabi peas right before serving.