Farro Salad with Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing

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Picnic-perfect farro salad is studded with juicy peaches, cucumbers, and frizzled onions and tossed with creamy Vidalia Poppyseed dressing. It’s great as a side dish, but it’s also hearty enough to enjoy as as your main course.

Farro Salad with Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing

Last week, I finished my culinary program‘s unit on pantry staples. It was all about sauces, stocks, dressings, and quick pickles. More than any other unit so far, it really made me want to get in the kitchen!  I spent the weekend making vegetable stock, marinara sauce, and an amazing cashew bechamel that I’ll use to make creamed spinach later this week.

I was also inspired to make this creamy Vidalia onion dressing that’s delicious as a dip for carrot sticks, on a garden salad, or in this summery farro salad.

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Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing

This Vidalia poppyseed dressing is easy to make and so delicious! All you need is a blender and a few simple ingredients. The onion and mustard help the dressing emulsify, making it super creamy. It looks like it has a dairy or mayonnaise base, but there’s no dairy or egg in it at all. Vidalia onions have a natural sweetness to them that gives the dressing an amazing, mellow flavor – don’t try making it with regular yellow onions because their flavor is too sharp and spicy for this recipe. You also want to use a neutral oil, like grapeseed, to keep the flavors in balance.

I used the dressing on this simple farro salad that’s so tasty I’ve eaten it three times in the past 24 hours. Inspired by the Vidalia onions, which are grown in Georgia, I added peaches to the salad. Cucumbers keep things light and fresh while arugula adds a bitter note and keeps everything from being too sweet. I also added some lightly fried onions for additional texture and flavor. You can leave them out if you really want to, but I they definitely take the salad to the next level. Serve this salad well-chilled – it’s even better after it sits in the fridge overnight!

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Farro Salad with Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing

Farro Salad with Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing

Farro Salad with Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the dressing:

  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • salt and pepper
  • [br]

For the farro salad

  • Grapeseed oil for frying
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced
  • 1 cup farro
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1 peach, cut into a 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 cucumber, cut into a 1/4-inch dice

Instructions

  2. In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, and onion. Cover and gradually increase the speed to high; blend 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.
  3. In a small sautee pan, heat 1/2-inch of grapeseed oil. When hot, add the sliced onions. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until light golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
  4. Meanwhile, add the farro and water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the farro is soft and the water is absorbed. Transfer the cooked farro to a large mixing bowl.
  5. Stir in the arugula, peaches, cucumber, fried onions, and half of the dressing. Chill thoroughly and serve with additional dressing, if desired.
© Lauren Keating
Farro Salad with Creamy Vidalia Poppyseed Dressing 1

I created this recipe for my client, the Vidalia Onion Committee. Thank you for supporting the recipes that keep me inspired in the kitchen!

 

 

Comments

  2. Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says

    06/15 at 5:36 pm

    The “pantry” class in my culinary school was actually my favorite class EVER. It was actually called “breakfast and pantry,” so only half was pantry. But I wish it would have been the whole class. I just really, really love making homemade salad dressings, salads, sandwiches, etc! This creamy Vidalia dressing sounds absolutely divine. I would assume it will keep at least a week (if not more) in the fridge, since there isn’t any dairy.

    Reply

  6. christine says

    06/11 at 6:57 am

    I used to buy a Vidalia onion dressing from some fancy schmancy food shop but it cost me WAY too much for a bottle of dressing, but it was THAT good! You have no idea how excited I am to try this dressing – I bet it’s going to be my saving grace! beautiful.

    Reply

  9. Susan says

    06/10 at 10:04 pm

    I am loving this salad! A little grilled chicken on the side and I’d be set. I can see pouring that vidalia onion dressing on everything this summer.

    Reply

  11. heather | girlichef says

    06/10 at 12:35 pm

    I’m totally digging the farro, peach, and cuke combo…but that dressing is what’s really calling my name!

    Reply

  12. Cookin Canuck says

    06/10 at 10:42 am

    The sweetness of vidalia onions always adds such great flavor. I can’t tell you how much I adore both poppyseed dressing and farro, so this salad sounds pretty perfect to me.

    Reply

  14. Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily says

    06/09 at 8:38 pm

    I’ve been searching for this sort of creamy yet healthy salad dressing and dip! Here it is thanks to fb social sharing site! Can’t wait to make this. Saving and sharing everywhere! oxox

    Reply

  15. Carla says

    06/09 at 5:16 pm

    Never would have thought to use Vidalia onions in a dressing! I can really get behind this salad for dinner.

    Reply

    • Lauren Keating says

      06/09 at 10:27 pm

      it works so well with the peaches! We really enjoyed the peach + cucumber combo, too.

      Reply

  22. Courtney says

    06/09 at 11:17 am

    I can’t believe this doesn’t have any cream or mayo. It really does look super creamy. I never would have thought to make Vidalia dressing from scratch, but I’m certainly going to give it a try now. It looks like it would go great on everything!

    Reply

    • Lauren Keating says

      06/09 at 10:26 pm

      I hate mayo and if someone served this to me I probably would have refused to eat it because it’s seriously *that* creamy. It’s kind of mind-boggling!

      Reply

  23. Nutmeg Nanny says

    06/09 at 9:08 am

    Not to get all dramatic or anything but I really was shocked there was no dairy in this recipe…haha. It looks so creamy and delicious! I need to make this immediately!

    Reply

    • Lauren Keating says

      06/09 at 10:25 pm

      I know, right? I could hardly believe it myself, and I’m the one who made it!

      Reply

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