Tahini Barley Salad

I am one of those people that hangs out for far to long in the grocery store, mostly in the bulk section, looking al all the types of rice, and grains, and beans, and seeds, admiring the variety and colors and also wishing I was one of those people that had an extra $25 to drop on a pound of pistachios.  (Them were some pricey pistachios fo sho.) I take my time, peruse the bins, maybe take a little taste or two,  and go for what I need. And maybe if something is on sale, get a little of that too. Things that usually make the list are spices, oats, beans, maybe rice or quinoa, flours, and seeds. Pumpkin seeds were on sale so those were the seeds of choice and I also got some barely because when I was starting at all the grains, it dawned on me that I don't know many people that eat barley, or even care about it, which is a shame because it is awesome. It might not be trendy like farro or freekeh, but it is just as good, and damn if it is not a hell of a lot cheaper. 

With the barley and pumpkins seed in hand, I had the start of a salad. So I grabbed some oats, a few spices, some beans and ran away from the builk section, past the nuts before things got bad and I either a) got kicked out for eating my weight in cashews and almonds, pretending to just need a taste, or b) paid the $25 for a pound of pistachios that I might not eat because I would need to save them for something really special because they cost $25 a pound. Then I grabbed veggies, walked around the wellness section for good measure, did another lap around the store just in case I forgot something, then finally made my way out of the store only to realize when I got home that I forgot something. (I always forget something) 

But I had all I needed for a barley salad situation so things went well. This is a fantastic salad. It's quick and easy and tasty and good. Barley, tahini, veggies and pumpkin seeds... It's all you need for a just right dinner, or a fantastic side to any meal. Or as a snack at anytime. Bring it to a BBQ, a graduation party, or a pot luck. it will get eaten, and if by chance you end up with a little left over, bring it on home and eat it for breakfast. It will still be just as good.  

The stuff. Pearled barley, tahini, pumpkin seeds and garlic. And some red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, kale, a carrot, some cauliflower, a lemon, a red onion, and a cucumber. (you are not going to need the full amount of all these veggies) 

First off, cook the barley. The barley and water go into a pot, brought to a boil, then left on low  to cook until tender. Once cooked, strain away excess water

While barley is cooking (or is cooked) chop up the veggies into mouth sized pieces. I used half the cucumber, half the onion, some of the cauliflower, all the kale, and all the carrot. It's not an exact measurement, you just want a good amount to toss into the salad. 

Barley in bowl, topped with the veggies and pumpkin seeds.... The pretty before the mix. You don't need to add it like this, I just did it cause it looks good.

And the tahini sauce. Mince garlic and add to a jar or bowl with the juice of the lemon, vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and give it a really good mix.

Creamy, zippy, oh so good. 

Drizzle and toss the dressing with the barley and veggies.

And that's that. Now you are ready for eating. 

Enjoy wherever this salad takes you. 

-C

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Tahini Barley Salad

If eaten as a meal, serves 2-3. As a side dish, serves 6-8

• 1 cup pearl barley 
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup tahini 
• 1 large lemon 
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 of a cucumber 
• 1 small carrot
• 2 large kale leaves
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 1 cup of cauliflower florets 
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Note. The vegetable amount and type is more of a preference. You could use all cucumber and onion or add  broccoli and pepper, just make sure to have a least 3 good cups of some chopped up color. 

Place barley and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and continue to cook until barley is tender, but not mushy, which should take about 45 minutes. Once cooked, strain excess water.

While the barley is cooking, chop all the veggies into small mouth sized pieces.  And make the tahini sauce. Mince garlic and place in a bowl or jar. Add in tahini, the juice of the lemon, and the vinegar. Mix well until smooth then season with salt and pepper to taste.  

When barley is cooked and drained, let cool for a few minutes then place in a big bowl. Add in all the veggies and the toasted pumpkin seeds, then drizzle with the tahini sauce and toss all around. Season with salt and pepper to taste.. 

Now eat still warm, or later at room renature, or place in fridge for it to get cold. It can be a filling meal or a great side dish. It's good all ways, any way.

Another note. This salad is great for parties and BBQ's and can be made a day or two ahead. If you do make ahead, hold off on mixing the pumpkin seeds and the tahini sauce with the rest of the salad until you are about to serve it. 

Green Salad with Candied Almonds, Avocado, And A Blueberry Lemon Vinaigrette

We need fresh, we need green, we need color.

We need salad.  

The other night I made Megan's birthday dinner which consisted of pizza and salad. The pizza was pizza and everyone loved it and ate it, but what surprised me was how everyone was really into the salad. A big ass bowl or fresh greens with onions and I think carrots and cabbage and some cranberries I pulled form the freezer and candies almonds. Simple and not fussy, and everyone was just so happy to eat it. I felt like a salad genus and now I am full on into making fun awesome spring salads. (I have to keep reminding myself that yes, it is indeed spring. So what we got snow yesterday, it will melt, right???? ) 

So I bring to you a a bowl of fresh crispy spring greens with crunch and bite and creaminess and flavor. A salad that will bring you joy and satisfaction and maybe even anticipation for your next salad adventure. Not to mention a salad that looks so dang pretty. 

Get into the green. You will be as happy as a rabbit in a garden. 

The stuff. Greens, red onion, an avocado, almonds, blueberries, and a lemon. Also need some maple syrup, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper. 

A couple teaspoons of maple  go in with the almonds. Really toss make sure they are all coated.

Place the almonds into a hot skillet cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the maple has become sticky and the almonds no longer raw. 

When they are done, dump them onto a piece of parchment to cool. Don worry if they clung a little, you can break them apart once they are hard. 

Easy ass dressing. Blueberries. juice from the lemon, olive oil, vinegar, a tiny splash of maple, and a good pinch or pepper. 

Blended then done. Taste and season with salt if needed. 

Avocado gets cut into small chunks and the onion get s thinly sliced.

It's all ready, so now make a salad

And now eat a salad. 

-C

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Green Salad With Candied Almonds, Avocado, And A Blueberry Lemon Vinaigrette

Makes 2-3  salads 

• 1/4 pound greens ( I used spring mix but mesclun mix or spinach is good too) 
• 1/2  red onion
• 1 avocado

For the Almonds 

• 1/3 cup raw halved or slivered almonds
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup 

For the Blueberry lemon Vinaigrette 

• 1/3 cup blueberries (I used  frozen)
• 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• pinch or salt
• pinch or pepper

To make the  candied almonds, preheat a skillet to on medium heat on top of the stove. Place almonds into a small bowl and drizzle with maple syrup. Stir to coat. When the pan is hot, dump the maple covered almond into it and spread them out. Cook for a 3 minutes, then give a stir and cook for a 3 or so more minutes or until the maple has evaporated and the almonds are starting to brown. Dump the almonds directly onto a piece of parchment paper to cool and hardened. Do worry if they stick together a bit, you can break them apart after. 

To make the vinaigrette, place the berries into a jar (if using stick blender) or blender with the juice of the lemon, olive oil, vinegar, maple, and a pinch of pepper Blend until smooth. Taste then add a very small pinch of salt or more to taste. 

For salad. Thinly slice the onion and dice the avocado. Place greens into bowl(s) and toss with onions and avocado. Top with  candied almonds and drizzle all over with the vinaigrette. Grab a fork and eat.

Any left over dressing will last in fridge for about a week and left over almonds will be good for.a few weeks in a airtight container.   

Spinach Asparagus Springtime Salad

As I was sitting at the table making this simple little ode to spring salad, it started to snow outside. "Look away", I told myself. "Pretend you didn't see it." Well, I saw it then, saw it before bed, and when I woke up this morning , there was (and still is)  a few inches of fresh white covering up my hopes of a warm spring day. I have to admit that it is really very pretty, but what the hell.

This salad is all spring. Fresh spinach from the farm, asparagus in abundance every store I go to. Simple, crisp, refreshing. A nice change from a winter heavy with roasted roots and thick stews. I don't know about you, but this is the time of year that all I want to eat are fist fulls of fresh green stuff. (I could insert a picture here of me sitting on the couch munching away from a bag of baby kale, but I won't. You don't need to see that)

Now if it would just stop snowing and be spring for real, that would be great.

The stuff. Fresh spinach. tender asparagus, a lemon, and salt and pepper..

Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus then dice up the rest.

Toss the chopped up asparagus in a bowl with spinach. Squeeze the juice of the lemon all up in that and sprinkle with salt and pepper. That is it.

Fresh, green, springtime goodness in a bowl.

-C

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Spinach Asparagus Springtime Salad

• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• 10 ish spears of fresh asparagus
• 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

Wash and dry spinach ans place in bowl. Snap off woody end of asparagus (I save this bits for soup) and chop up the rest into mouth sized pieces. Toss the chopped asparagus into bowl with spinach. Squeeze on the juice of the lemon and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Eat.

Persimmon Jalapeño Avocado Salad

Sitting at the airport in Copenhagen ……

What What!!!  Thats right people. Our travel adventure has begun!

And you guys, I made it alive, my very first ( and second) plane ride ever! And oh boy was it a dozy.

The flight from boston to Iceland was just about as scary as I could have imagined. The plane felt like it was jolting back and forth the entire time. So much turblance. I pretty much couldn’t lift my head off of the mr’s shoulder the entire flight or else I was going to barf. And sleep. Not a chance. I was to busy wondering how long we would make it in the sub artic waters if the plane went down. I was thinking a similar situation to Kate and Leo in the Titanic, although I would never let Nick go. (gag. I did a little too.) 

So now we are sitting and hanging at the airport waiting for eight, yes EIGHT HOURS for our next flight into Ireland. Yeah, we are a little bored and sure, we could lock up our bags and venture out into the city, but honestly, we are beat ass tired. We kind of planed on hanging here anyway so we could spend a little time recouping from the time difference (sleeping like bum style) and checking out the place so when we do come back next week for our stay we will know what to do. And really, just sitting here watching all the cool people with there funky luggage and hockey sticks??.. It’s a good bit of fun. I just wish I packed me one of those donut pillows.

Anyway enough about our travel adventures for now cause I know what you really want to know about is this salad.

This is one of those salads that leaves your mouth puckering and wanting more. Sweet, acitic, spicy.. it hits it all. I really wish I had me some of this salad right now. I made it this past weekend and as I am sitting here writing this, all I can think about it how I wish I packed it to bring we me. I actually might done that but I was worried that any fantastic food I brought with me to the airport was going to get confiscated. So all I have left to eat, until we get to Ireland and a grocery store, is a can beans.  Oh well. Next time. But you, you can go make this salad right now and eat it and be happy. I'll just have to wait until I get back to make it again.

The stuff. A persimmon (I used half), a small jalapeno (red or green) half and avocado and some red onion.  Then you need some greenage in the form of kale or whatever greens you want and a lime, some red wine vinegar, and a bit of salt. 

Slice the persimmon and the onion nice and thin and into mouth sized pieces. Cut the avocado into chucks and de-seed and slice the jalapeno into thin little pieces

Stick it all into a bowl and cover with the juice of the lime, a splash splash of vinegar , and a pinch of salt.

 Toss around and let chill for a bit (the longer the better)

Chop up the kale into piece that will fit into your mouth

And then dump the stuff right into the greens

Agh, I want some salad….Jjust one more plane ride.

Have a swell day my friends! 

-C

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Persimmon Jalapeño Avocado Salad

serves 1-2

• ½ of a ripe persimmon
• ½ of an avocado
• 1 small jalapeño (red or green)
• ½ of a red onion
• ½ a bunch of kale
• 1 lime
• a few splashes of red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Note.. You as much or as little the stuff as you like.

De-seed the jalapeño and thinly slice it, along with the persimmon and onion and place into a bowl. Cut the avocado into small chunks and into the bowl that goes too. Add in the juice of the lime and about 2 splashes of vinegar along with a pinch of salt. Toss around ad let sit on the counter for at least 5 minutes, but the long the better. And chop up your greens. When your marinating stuff tastes good enough to eat, toss into the greens. Sprinkle with pepper and grab a fork.

Eat. Yum.

A bowl of Mustard Greens, Quinoa, Onions, and Sweet Potato

Monday was kind of a suck until I made dinner. It was hot, I didn't sleep well the night before, and I spent the morning calling the dentist over and over until someone picked up so I could get my butt in there to get my tooth fixed (sometime during eating on sunday I broke my back molar…. and that happened) . Whatever, I got the only appointment that they had available and was just happy that I was able to get in. So went about my morning, went to the gym, did my things then ran home, took a shower and headed to the appointment.  When I got there, I checked in, sat down, and waited..Then waited some more, then was called in to the room and then did some more waiting. But finally, the doctor came in and took two minutes to check the tooth (the doctors said I was as badass… couldn't believe that I don't do novocain) and left the dental assistant lady to fix it. And ok, I know that people have to practice their craft to learn, but I am pretty sure that I was one of the first solo tooth fixings that this lady has ever done. And that's cool, but I was hungry and just wanted to get the f out there.(did I mention that it was lunch time?) So taking her sweet time (at least she did a good job) she got it done. But then I had to wait some more, in the chair, for the doctor to come back and check. Holy hell I was there for way to long.

Then I got home and rushed out.. grabbing a carrot on the way. But I was still hungry.. And that just sent me to a dark place for the rest of the day.

So when I finally got home, I immediately went to the fridge to get dinner started. While aggressively riffling through bags of veggies and greens, I stubbled upon a big bag of mustard greens that I got last week at the farm….SCORE.., this made me happy.

Sure, I could have just eaten them right there, fresh and all spicy like, but I if I waited this long to eat, I could wait a little longer and I figured I would share.. and mabye do a little some thing fancy, like toss them with some cooked up onions and sweet potato and that left over quiona that was also in the fridge. 

And thats what I did. And it was good. And the day didn't seem so bad. (food always makes me better)

The stuff. Mustad greens oh lala. A small sweet potato and an onion (I used half of that big one). Cooked quinoa, garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. 

Dice up the sweet potato into little chunks and toss into a big skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place skillet on medium heat and cook potato for a few minutes just to give it a little head start before adding the onions. When the potato starts to show a little browning, add in the onions and a splash or two of water. Stir around, stick a lid over it, and continue to cook until the onions are soft and the sweet potato is fork tender. 

When the stuff is cooked, mince up the garlic and stir that in and cook for a little longer.

And now toss on the mustard greens. (Don't worry if they are overflowing from the skillet, they will cook down really fast). Add another splash of water and place the lid back on. Cook for a couple minutes and mix everything together.

Place cooked quinoa (hot or cold) into a bowl.

And dump the stuff right on top. If your into it, drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar. (I highly recommend)

And eat to be happy.

Hears to a better day then yesterday!

-C

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A bowl of Mustard Greens, Quinoa, Onions, and Sweet potato

• roughly 1/2 lb. of fresh mustard greens
• 1 small sweet onion or half a big onion
• 1 small sweet potato
• 3/4- 1 cup cooked quinoa*
• few cloves of garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar(optional)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Note- To cook quinoa, use1 part quinoa- 2 parts water. Place quinoa in pot with water, bring to boil, place on a lid, then turn to simmer for 15 minutes. After 15, turn heat off and let sit of a few more minutes then fluff with fork. Also, i f you don't have quinoa, just use rice or faro or nothing, the greens are good their own.

Dice up sweet potato into small picese and stick in a large, lightly oiled skillet on medium heat. Toss on some salt and pepper and cook potato for a few minutes until they start to slightly brown. Slice up onion and toss that into the skillet with the sweet potato. Add in a splash of water and place a lid on the skillet, giving it a stir ever now and then. (Watch the stuff carefully, it cooked pretty fast.) Cook until both the sweet potatoes and onion are browned and soft. Now mince garlic and mix that it and let cook for a few minutes..

Now everything is cooked,  toss in the mustard greens. (It may seem like a lot, but its not) Hit with a splash of water, place a lid (it doesn't have to be a snug fit) on top and cook for a few mites until greens are wilted.  Toss everything around to mix together. Take your quinoa and place in a bowl. Top with cooked stuff and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Eat right away and maybe save a little for later cause it very much good cold too!