Mediterranean Barley Salad

We have had a box of barley in our pantry for about a year. I didn't really have a clue what to do with it, so I thought about it for a while (ok, a long while). Since it's been really warm lately, I thought maybe some type of salad would be good. So, off I went to www.allrecipes.com and sure enough-I found a recipe that sounded really good-barley, corn, black beans, peas, and more-what's not to love?! This salad was beautiful, very colorful, refreshing and tasty. Now I wonder why that box of barley sat in the pantry for so long!

Mediterranean Barley Salad
(modified from www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
3 C Barley, cooked
1 Can Black Beans, drained & rinsed
1.5 C Frozen Corn
1 C Frozen Peas
3 Tomatillos, chopped
10 Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1/4 C Olive Oil
Juice from 3 Limes
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Add the barley, beans, corn, peas, tomatillos, tomatoes, and red onion in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt & pepper together. Combine the dressing with the salad mixture. Enjoy!

Big Ass Veggie Burrito

This recipe is from "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch". It is absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this one again!



Big-Ass Veggie Burrito
(from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)
Ingredients:
1 C Brown Rice
2 C Water
1/2 tsp. plus a pinch of fine sea salt (I used Kosher)
1 (15 oz) Can Black Beans
1 T refined coconut oil (I used Safflower)
1 Yellow Squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 Mild Green Chile, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 Red Onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Ground Coriander
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
2 Tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used Tomatillos)
2 T Lime Juice
4 (12-14 inch) Whole Wheat Tortillas, heated (I used Ezekiel from the health food store)
1 lb. Vegan Cheddar (I used about a cup of regular cheddar), shredded
1/2 C Coarsely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
Directions:
In a 1 to 2 quart saucepan over high heat, combine the rice, water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice stand, covered at least 10 minutes. (I used my rice cooker)
Meanwhile, place the beans and their liquid in a 1 quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the beans are heated through, about 3 minutes. Cover and set aside. (I skipped this process and simply drained & rinsed the black beans. Canned beans tend to have a lot of sodium, so by rinsing you can get rid of a lot of it).
Heat the oil in a 10-12 inch skillet over medium high. Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and chile and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini , garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, and the remaining salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes, or until all the vegetables are crisp tender. Stir in the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 4 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Stir in the lime juice.
To serve, lay a tortilla on a work surface and top with 1/4 of the rice, arranging it in a column down the middle of the tortilla, 2 inches from either edge. Top with 1/4 of the beans, 1/4 of the veggies, 1/4 of the cheese, 1/4 of the cilantro, and 1/4 of the scallions. Fold one side of the tortilla up and over the fillings, fold in the edges, and continue rolling the tortilla to the other side, making a tight bundle. Transfer the burrito to a plate, seam down. Repeat with remaining tortillas-makes 4.

Waldorf Wheat Berry Salad

My husband & I started doing South Beach diet about 6 weeks ago. We feel great and have both lost weight. In my quest to become more healthy, I decided to read the book "Skinny Bitch". It was a huge eye opener for me and we have both decided to go the vegetarian route-or at least work towards it. I also have the cookbook "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" that goes along with the book. It has some really great recipes. Today, I went into the natural food store and picked up some groceries for the first recipe-Waldorf Wheat Berry Salad. It was DELICIOUS! This will be a staple for us-we both loved it.

Waldorf Wheat Berry Salad (adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)

Ingredients:

1 C Hard Wheat Berries (available in the bulk section of natural food stores and many supermarkets)
3 C Water, plus more for soaking
1/3 C Safflower Oil
1/4 C Apple Juice
2 T Rice Vinegar
2 T Agave Nectar
3/4 tsp. Fine Sea Salt (I used Kosher)
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 Celery Stalks, thinly sliced
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 Sweet-Tart Apple, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used Fuji)
1/2 Small Red Onion, diced
1/2 C Dried Cranberries
1/2 C Chopped Pecans
1/2 C Chopped Fresh Parsley

Directions:
In a 2 to 3 quart saucepan, combine the wheat berries and enough water to cover by 2 inches and soak, refrigerated, for 6 hours or overnight. (If you don't have time for the overnight, use 1/2 cup more water and cook for thirty minutes more, or until tender).
Drain the wheat berries, return them to the pot, and add the 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 50-60 minutes until the berries are tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the safflower oil, apple juice, rice vinegar, agave, salt & pepper. Once the berries are cooked, drain any water left in the pan and transfer the berries to a large bowl. Toss with about half the dressing and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once the berries are cool, stir in the ingredients and remaining dressing, tossing gently. Serve cold.

YUM!

Indian Lentils

My husband had soaked some lentils and gave me the scoop on how to cook them. This was my first lentil dish, and I was pretty impressed-it was really, really great! This one will be a regular in our home.

Indian Lentils

Soak approximately 2 Cups of lentils for at least 6-8 hours (we soaked them in the morning before we left for work). Drain lentils-place in dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil on stove top. Let boil until lentils are soft-add 1 can diced tomatoes at the end of cooking. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat 2 T olive oil. When oil is hot, add 1 T Mustard seeds to pan and let crackle. Add 1 T Cumin seeds and 1 red chili. Carefully add this mixture to the lentils & their "broth". Add 1 T Tamarind paste, 1 T Brown Sugar, 3 T Sambar Mix, and salt to taste. Once mixed and seasoned to taste, add 2 T chopped Cilantro. Serve over brown rice.

Quinoa...where have you been all my life??

I have heard several good things about this little South American grain, but have never tasted it. Until now that is...and all I can say is "Quinoa, where have you been all of my life?". It was really delicious and is healthy as well. This one will be added to our regular rotation for sure!

Ingredients/Directions:

To cook the quinoa, place 2 Cups water or broth (I used broth for added flavor) in a medium saucepan along with 1 Cup of quinoa (I used Trader Joe's organic). Bring to a boil. When boiling, turn heat to low and cover for approximately 10 minutes or until liquid is gone.

I wanted to make a meal out of it, so meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 T Olive Oil. When pan is hot, add the following (or whatever veggies you like): 1 small chopped onion, 1 diced carrot, green peas, corn, lima beans and green beans-season with salt & pepper and saute. When cooked through, add 2 Cans Garbanzo Beans and warm through. Once warmed, add quinoa to pan and stir all ingredients together. Enjoy!

Cajun Salmon & Brown Rice Medley

Tonight, my husband cooked dinner. Salmon sounded good, so he added some cajun spices to some salmon fillets and pan sauteed in olive oil and a dab of butter. It was really good! As a side, he cooked up some Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley. This medley consists of long grain parboiled brown rice, black barley, and daikon radish seeds. It's very hearty and tastes good.

We went to my parents' today for lunch. Mom made an 18 bean soup with ground turkey and some freshly baked corn bread. It was delicious! I forgot to bring my camera so unfortunately I don't have any pictures. Since Dad doesn't like beans, she also warmed a turkey stew that my aunt had made-that was good too (yes, I had both!). Mom also made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting-Anand's favorite! Thanks Mom!

Trader Joe's (and Cajun Spice) to the Rescue!

Tonight we decided to have cajun chicken and this Harvest Grains Blend that we had picked up at Trader Joe's (http://www.traderjoes.com/). Unfortunately, there are no Trader Joe's in Maine so the last time we were in MA we decided to find one-thank goodness for GPS! This is a really good blend of, according to the package: "Israeli Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo Beans, and Red Quinoa". It's hearty, delicious, healthy, and the simplest thing in the world to cook.

Package Directions:

Bring 1 3/4 C water or broth (I used broth for flavor) to a boil. Add 1 T butter and stir in 1 1/4 C (1/2 a package) of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Yield: Approximately 3 Cups.

Cajun Chicken

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Breasts, sliced in half or pounded thin

2 eggs, whisked

Approx. 3/4 C Flour

Approx. 1/4 C Tone's Louisiana Style Cajun Seasoning

1 tsp. Baking Soda

3 T. Olive Oil

2 T. Butter

Combine flour, cajun seasoning and baking soda. Heat oil & butter over medium heat in a skillet. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg mixture and dredge in the flour mixture. Add chicken to skillet and cook over medium heat until golden. Flip to other side and cook until done.

This seasoning mixture is also great with fish.

Tonight's Dinner

My husband grilled some chicken that he had marinated in Indian spices (what did you use honey?) and buttermilk. It came out really great! It didn't have enough spice for him, but I liked it! He also sauteed up some chickpeas in olive oil and rosemary-yum!

Oh yeah, and the girls had their first dal! They weren't sure about the texture, but seemed to like it!