Tunisia Meets Provence Salad

Tunisia Meets Provence Salad

 

I found this wonderful grain salad recipe in Vegetarian Times and tried it out last week with cooked barley I had in the fridge.  You could use any cooked grain though - brown rice, quinoa, couscous (I know, not a grain, but still...).

I really liked the sweetness that comes from the apple and the saltiness with the olives.

Everyone in the family liked this recipe.

 

I'll certainly make it again.

 

The recipe calls for 12 Kalamata olives.  I'd use the whole jar next time.

And I didn't peel the green apple as the recipe suggests, but you certainly could.

 

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Bon Apetit!

 

Barley Casserole

Barley Casserole

Straight away I have to tell you that this was not my favorite dish.  It wasn't the barley, I like barley dishes.  I think it was the tahini dressing.  Tahini (a critical ingredient in hummus) has a distinctive flavor that I don't even notice in hummus, but I did notice it in this dish.  I will certainly try it again, maybe reducing the tahini just a little.

This recipe comes from The Kind Diet, and Alicia Silverstone starts the recipe with this introduction:  "Get out your Birkenstocks!  This casserole is hearty, tasty, and deeply groovy.  Perfect for a family meal or to bring to a hippie potluck..."

So, you've been warned. 

Just kidding - actually, it's a simple dish and one that should really have more vegetables in it, in my opinion.  The little bit of celery and carrot (and onion if you are an onion-lover, we are not) are hardly noticeable in this dish.  I'd recommend adding more vegetables.

When I cook barley, I get the Pearl Barley variety.  I find it at Kroger in the healthy foods section.
This form of barley (also known as Whole Barley) has the three parts of the grain still in tact, and it's got more texture than processed barley.

I soak my barley in water for a few hours, then rinse and drain it well before cooking it.
If you don't have time, just rinse and drain it and get started.

I cooked the barley in boiling water that I then lowered to a simmer.  It was good and tender after about 45 minutes.

While it was finishing up, I heated olive oil in a large skillet and cooked the garlic, then the vegetables, soy sauce,  and dried herbs.  I transferred the drained barley to the vegetables and heated it through.  I added a little sea salt and then placed it in a baking dish.

I mixed up the tahini dressing, which is made up of tahini (found at Kroger), soy sauce, and a little garlic powder, paprika, dried basil, and dried oregano.  I combined it in with the grains and vegetables and baked it at 350* for 35 minutes. 

 

I liked the dried texture and the rest of the family liked it pretty well too.

Again, I think I'll add more vegetables and maybe reduced the tahini and see if I like it even more!

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Enjoy!

Miso Barley Soup

Miso Barley Soup

This is a really easy, and tasty soup.
This recipe comes from the You Are What You Eat cookbook, and is another great variation on miso soup.

It's hard to call this an actual "recipe", but I will!  It's super simple and uses instant miso soup packets.

I cooked up 4 for our family, and added in 1 cup of leftover soaked/rinsed/drained/cooked pearl barley.

You cook the soup according to the packaged directions, then add in the refrigerated barley, stirring until it's heated through, on simmer or off the heat.

You can't see the barley because it sinks.  I tried to get a photo, but it kept sinking!

Delicious, healthy, and an easy way to add a little something to packaged soup.

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どうぞめしあがれ (douzo meshiagare)

(Japanese for Bon Apetit!)