Pearl Barley Stir Fry

 

 

 Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley
1 1/2 to 2 cups vegetable stock
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs dry white wine (optional)
1 head of broccoli, chopped
Any other veggies you want to add (I put in some spinach and cabbage)
S&P

How to Make Pearl Barley Stir Fry

This one takes a little bit longer to make because of the barley, but is a really hearty and delicious dish!

 In a large, shallow pan, saute the onion and garlic, lightly salted, for about 3 minutes.  Then, add the barley and saute for about 3-5 more.  Feel free to add a bit more oil if it looks too dry.   When the barley is fragrant, add the white wine, stirring constantly.  

Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Simmer covered on low for about 45 minutes until the barley is soft, but still has some bite.  Then, add the broccoli on top and cover for about 3 minutes.  Broccoli should be bright green and tender.  Add S&P as needed and enjoy!

Vegetable Puree

 

Ingredients

1 medium onion
1 shallot
6-8 cloves of garlic
4 carrots
2-3 stalks of celery
2 small potatoes or 1 large potato
1 inch cube of fresh ginger (optional)
1/2 cup cabbage
3/4 tbs vegetable/olive oil
1/2 tsp celery salt
3 green onions
6 cups vegetable stock
S&P

How to make Vegetable Puree

This puree is so lovely and warming, no one will believe it is so easy to make.  I love purees because you don't have to worry about chopping as uniformly or cooking each vegetable perfectly.  Instead, you can just throw everything in a pot and let it boil away!

In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  Add diced potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, shallot, ginger, salt and pepper.  Sweat for about 6-8 minutes until vegetables begin to color a bit.  Be sure not to burn the garlic.

Slowly pour in the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spoon to pull up the yummy bits.

Bring to a boil and add in the cabbage, 3/4 of the green onions, and celery salt.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until all of the vegetables are very soft.

Puree with an immersion blender or a food processor in batches until smooth.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper accordingly.

Top bowls with remaining green onions and fresh cracked pepper.  Enjoy!

This is also a great soup for leftovers because nothing gets soggy or discolored.  I usually make it in such large batched because of that!

Taco Night!

Ingredients

Taco "Meat":
1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup Boca Crumbles
about 1/4 packet of taco seasoning
1 small jalapeno, diced (optional)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tbs of water

Fixings:
1 tbs torn cilantro leaves
4-6 sliced grape tomatoes
1/2 cup cabbage/lettuce
1-2 green onions
sour cream (optional)
salsa
cheese (optional)
black olives, diced
Taco shells or tortillas, warmed

Avocado Sauce:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup milk
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sour cream

 

How to make Taco Night!

Josh LOVES taco night, and this is a great meal that can be made together.  I usually have him make the "meat" part, and I cut up whatever veggies we are going to use. 

For this recipe, you can really make it your own.  Feel free to use soyrizo instead of crumbles or omit the dairy products for some awesome vegan tacos.  This makes about 7 small tacos, which is just enough to satisfy us both (or 3-4 regular people).

For the crumbles, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the broken up crumbles, onion, and jalapeno.  Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the water and seasoning.  Feel free to add more water if needed.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Assemble the tacos with whatever fixings you are using.  We tend to put the meat on the bottom and spread the sour cream down the sides.

If using the avocado spread, just puree all of the ingredients for this together and put into a squirt bottle.  This will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Enjoy!!

Potato Salad with Peas

This was a HUGE hit for fourth of July.  People really liked the how tangy is was compared to other potato salads that have a lot of mayonnaise.

Ingredients

2.5 lbs Red potatoes
2 stalks of celery
4 green onions
8 ounces of sour cream
2 tbs mayonnaise
1.5 cups frozen, thawed peas
1 tbs stone ground mustard
S&P

How to make Potato Salad with Peas

Boil the potatoes with the skin on until al dente.  Set aside and let cool for a bit.

Then, cute the potatoes into bite-size pieces and mix with the other ingredients, also chopped into bit-size pieces.  Chill in the fridge for at least and hour to let the flavors come together.

Serve and enjoy!

Artisan Herb Bread

I have been so tempted to make bread for a long time, but as someone who fancies herself more of a cook than a baker and a recipe maker rather than a recipe follower, I was less than optimistic about my potential skills.  However, after doing some research, I managed to come up with a recipe that I found to work very well.  It's easy, and pretty similar to the New York Times famous "No Knead Bread", though I found that a little kneading never hurt anyone :)

For the bread, you can really put anything that you want in it, but I chose the herbs that I had on hand at the time.  Later, I made some with fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano that was so delicious!!

 

 

Ingredients

4 cups of wheat flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 packet of dry active yeast (3/4 tbs)
3/4 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt (more if you like salty)
2 tbs chopped basil
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp dried rosemary

How to make Artisan Herb Bread

This is a great bread recipe that turns out super crispy on the outside and airy in the middle.  I had never made bread before, so I surveyed some recipes and came up with this one.  Feel free to add whatever spices and herbs you want to the bread.  The next time I make it, I think I am going to put some cloves of garlic in it!

Start by pouring the warm water into the yeast and sugar.  Let sit for about 20 minutes until it is a very bubbly mixture.  

Then, add in the flour, salt, and herbs and mix.  You will have a very sticky, ugly looking dough. 
Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 18-24 hours.  The mixture should look very bubbly.
Take the mixture out of the bowl and carefully transfer to a floured working surface.  Form the dough into a ball and cover with a smooth, liberally floured kitchen towel while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  While preheating, put your pizza stone or baking sheet in there to warm up as well.  I let mine sit for an extra 10 minutes while the oven was heating the stone.
Sprinkle the dough with some dried rosemary and transfer to the pizza stone.  (I put some aluminum foil between the stone and dough to make it easier to transfer and to ensure that it would not stick).  I also put a small ramekin full of water into the bottom of the oven to given a crispier crust to the bread.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 1 hour, or until the bread is golden brown and crispy.  I used the toothpick trick to make sure the inside was properly cooked as well.

Enjoy!!

Walnut Summer Salad Recipe

 

Ingredients

Salad:
3 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/2 diced roma tomato
1 hard boiled egg quartered
2 tbs dried cranberries
1 sliced green onion

Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1/4 cup truffle oil (or olive oil)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder

How to make Walnut Summer Salad

This refreshing salad serves about 2 people

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl if sharing or divide into two bowls.  I like to season the eggs with salt and pepper before putting them into the salad.

In a separate bowl (I use a measuring cup), combine all dressing ingredients except for the oil.  Then, slowly whisk in the oil.

Drizzle over salad and serve immediately.

Kale and Barley Soup

 

Ingredients

2 tbs butter
1 white onion
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tbs curry powder
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
3/4-1 cup pearl barley
3 bay leaves
1 tbs vegetarian worcestershire sauce
2 carrots
1 stalk celery
3 leaves of chopped kale
1 green bell pepper
2 tsp celery salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried Italian seasonings
pepper to taste

How to make Kale and Barley Soup

This is a healthy and rich recipe that can be modified for any vegetable tastes.  I often add cannellini beans for some extra protein.

In a large dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat.  Add diced onion and shallots and saute for about 4 minutes.  Then add the garlic and curry powder and saute for a few minutes more.  Then add the tomatoes in juice, vegetable stock, water, worcestershire sauce, Italian seasonings, bay leaves, celery salt, garlic salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.  Add the barley and reduce to a simmer.  The barley takes a while to cook, so I wait a while to add my vegetables so they don't get soggy.

After about 20 minutes, add the carrot and celery.  Cook until barley is nearly tender.  Then add the bell pepper and kale and cook until all ingredients are thoroughly cooked.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Miso Soup

Ingredients

1 quart vegetable stock
2 tbs sesame oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 block of firm tofu
6 oz frozen Asian stir fry vegetable mix
5 tbs yellow vegetarian miso paste
1 tbs soy sauce
3 green onions
1/2 cup cilantro

How to make Vegetable Miso Soup

This super simple recipe only takes about 10 minutes to make and will feed everyone in your kitchen!

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and saute garlic for about 3 minutes.  Add vegetable stock and about 14 oz of water, soy sauce, and bring to a simmer.  Add the frozen vegetables and tofu and cook for about 4 minutes.  Be sure that the mixture does not boil.

Add in the miso paste and heat for about 2 minutes.  Serve topped with green onions and cilantro.

Simple Potato Leek Soup

 

Ingredients

2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 cup milk
2 tbs butter or margarine
3 cloves of garlic
1 small yellow onion
2 cleaned leeks (white parts only)
4 potatoes
1 celery stalk
1 bay leaf
5 shakes of McCormick's garlic and onion seasoning (or other favorite seasoning)
2 green onions
salt and pepper to taste

How to make Simple Potato Leek Soup

This is a delicious and super simple recipe for a healthier version of potato leek soup.

Melt butter in a dutch oven on medium heat.  Add chopped onions and simmer for about 4 minutes.  Then add the garlic and chopped leeks.  Simmer for about 4 more minutes.

Add the vegetable stock, water, bay leaf, seasoning, and potatoes.  Cook on medium low heat until potatoes are tender.  About half way through this, add the celery stalk and one green onion, chopped.

Remove soup from the heat and let it cool down a bit.  Remove the bay leaf.  Then, blend mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Be sure not to over blend the mixture, as potatoes can get a bit gummy.

Place soup back on heat and add the milk.  Let soup warm up.  Serve with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.