The past several months have been…horrendous. The length of the holiday season was characterized by lethargy and getting sick several times a day. I’m not sure whether to be disappointed I was such a bummer around my friends and family, or if I should be thankful I was surrounded by them to get me through it.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, all these rough days are for good reason: I’m expecting baby #2!

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With my ratio of good days to bad slowly improving, I’m ready to get my eating back on track. And by “back on track” I mean a diet of more than canned soup and boxed macaroni & cheese. This farro salad is a good place to start, loaded with nourishing fruit and nuts and coated in a citrus-y, slightly creamy dressing.

The combination of fruit and nuts is completely adaptable, but I am smitten with the variety of flavors here: tart cherries, plump apricots, and rich, toasted pecans and pistachios. The colors are beautiful, too, and since they say we eat with the eyes first…

There are a lot of pretty intense flavors here, so the salad needs a light, bright dressing. I love how this lemon and sour cream dressing, a departure from my standard vinaigrette, pulls everything together and keeps it balanced.

This recipe makes a huge amount of salad, so if you don’t want to eat it for days, feel free to halve it. If you have a hard time tracking down farro or want to make it gluten-free (farro is related to wheat), brown rice would be a good substitute.

Farro, Fruit, and Nut Salad with a Tangy Dressing

2 c uncooked farro
Juice of 1 lemon + zest of half a lemon
1/4 c sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 c toasted pecans, roughly chopped
1 c pistachios
1/2 c dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/2 c dried unsweetened tart cherries

1. Add the farro to a large pot and cover by several inches with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is cooked through but still chewy, 20-30 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the farro in cold water.

2. Meanwhile, stir together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sour cream, mustard, honey, and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly, until fully incorporated and smooth.

3. Add the farro, pecans, pistachios, apricots, and cherries to a large bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and toss to evenly distribute. Serve room temperature.