Avocado, Zucchini and Farro Salad

Busy are these days of summer. Yesterday we started the day off with a hike in the woods. We drove slowly down a rutted dirt road to the main trail head. There's a sign at the end that says Cummings Creek trail and you can hear the water in the background. The trail follows the ridge and takes you back far into the forest, it also connects with the Cook's Ridge and Gwynn Creek trail for a longer hike.

It's funny how when you are hiking you stop thinking about the things you normally do, like work, your home, bills and other things you normally contemplate throughout the day. What you do focus on however; is what you see, you have to pay attention to where you are stepping and your surroundings. You are totally in the moment, a bush rattles, a bird sings, you see a tree that could be hundreds of years old. Suddenly everyday things come into perspective, after all you realize this is what matters most. As I walk through the forest the ever present trees are amazing, some have moss growing on them, others have mushrooms. Some trees are growing on trees that have already toppled. You can hear the trees creek when the wind blows them just right. The ground is covered with gorgeous large ferns. This is a hikers paradise.

Today's recipe came about on the drive home from that morning's hike, I was famished and thinking about what we had available at the house and in my mind this is what I put together.

Ingredients:

For salad:

1/2 cup farro (cooked, I used Trader Joe's quick cooking)
1 medium avocado (halved, sliced thinly)
1 medium summer squash (cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into 1/4 inch rounds)
1 small head red romaine (sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons)
1/8 ounce feta cheese (crumbled)
1 handful roasted walnut pieces (roasted)
2 green onions (thinly sliced)

Dressing:

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin oil oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 green onion (thinly sliced)

To prepare:

In a large bowl, add in sections; the farro, the avocado, squash, red romaine, feta cheese, walnuts and green onions.

In the meantime make the dressing, combine the vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard and green onion. Whisk.

Serve with dressing on the side.