Roasted Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Feta and Avocado

I spent this week thinking about money in a way I have not thought about it since the Mark years. Not worrying about money — thinking about it constructively. The first half of the year was my best ever. The commission checks are adding up. I have savings. Real savings. Money that belongs to me, earned by me, sitting in an account with my name on it. If you have never been bankrupt, you cannot understand what savings means to a woman who lost everything. It means I will never have to move back into my parents' house. It means my children will go to college. It means the power is mine.

I started a college fund for Alexander this week. Officially, with a financial advisor, in an account that will grow while he finishes his senior year and applies to schools. I sat in the advisor's office and signed the papers and thought about Mark and his gambling and the $800,000 in debt and the way money can destroy a family when it is wielded by someone who does not respect it. I respect it now. I earned that respect the hard way.

Sophia asked for new books and I bought them without hesitation. Six books about marine biology and one novel about a girl who discovers she can talk to dolphins, which is scientifically improbable but literarily charming. She read two of them in three days. My daughter consumes books the way Dimitri consumes ouzo — with enthusiasm, speed, and an apparent inability to stop.

Sunday dinner was Mama's lamb, slow-roasted until it fell off the bone, served with roasted potatoes and a horiatiki so large it had its own zip code. Despina was there, quiet this week, eating slowly. She is ninety and she is slowing down in ways that break my heart if I look at them directly, so I look at them sideways, the way you look at the sun, acknowledging the brightness without staring into it.

I made tzatziki from scratch this week — the real kind, with thick Greek yogurt strained overnight, grated cucumber pressed dry, raw garlic, a whisper of olive oil. It takes time. The straining takes time. The pressing takes time. You cannot rush tzatziki. You cannot rush anything worth making. The tzatziki was cool and sharp and I ate it with warm pita and thought about patience and money and the college fund growing slowly in an account, like tzatziki draining overnight — quietly, steadily, becoming richer for the waiting.

That Sunday dinner with Mama’s lamb and the tzatziki I made from scratch reminded me that the best things — the ones worth having — require patience and presence. When I sat down to meal-plan for the week ahead, I wanted something that carried that same spirit into a weeknight bowl: roasted, layered, unhurried. This roasted cauliflower and farro salad with feta and avocado is exactly that — Mediterranean in its bones, the kind of food Despina would recognize, the kind of food that feels like abundance earned rather than abundance assumed. I made a big batch and ate it three days running, and it was better every time.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 ripe avocado, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, finely minced

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Season the cauliflower. Toss the cauliflower florets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast until golden. Roast for 25—30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the florets are deeply golden at the edges and tender in the center. Set aside to cool slightly.
Cook the farro. While the cauliflower roasts, combine the farro and broth (or water) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 25—30 minutes until tender. Drain any excess liquid and let cool for 5 minutes.
Make the dressing. Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced shallot, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the warm farro, roasted cauliflower, sun-dried tomatoes, and parsley. Pour the dressing over and toss gently to coat.
Finish and serve. Top with diced avocado and crumbled feta. Serve warm or at room temperature — this salad holds beautifully and deepens in flavor as it sits.

Nutrition (per serving)

Roasted Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Feta and Avocado — A Bowl Built for the Patient and the Grateful