Barley bowl with miso dressing

This may seem like a lot of work for a warm salad, but it's so worth it.  I cannot even describe how satisfying this meal is, or how much better your life will be with this recipe for miso dressing.  Because preparing all the ingredients of this dish requires some labor, make plenty of extra; multiply the amounts here as many times as you want.  Every bit of it will freeze, so you can keep putting bowls together for dinner when you come home late and hungry, to pack for a not-sad-desk-lunch, etc. You get the picture.  Now get to work!

Barley Bowl with Miso Dressing

Serves 4

For the bowl:

1 cup rinsed barley, farro, or wheat berries

1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets and bite-sized stem pieces

1/2 small butternut squash

1 block tofu, pressed and drained of excess water

Miso Dressing:
1 rounded tablespoon white or yellow miso
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, or 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic press, minced or put through a press
Pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt 

Chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

In a large saucepan, combine the barley and 2 cups of well-salted water.  Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until tender and water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if it's boiling off too fast. 

Combine all dressing ingredients EXCEPT yogurt. Cut the tofu into bite-sized chunks, dunk them in the miso mixture, and set in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven at 375 degrees (no need to preheat) and bake until browned, flipping once, for about 30 minutes. Then you can add the yogurt and whisk to complete the dressing. 

Steam the broccoli and squash, which can be done with a steamer insert over your barley or in a separate pan.  Cook until the squash is tender but still firm.

To assemble the bowl: place a quarter of the barley in a large bowl or on a plate.  Scatter a quarter of the vegetables and tofu on top and drizzle with the miso dressing.  Sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top and squeeze a liberal amount of lime juice over the whole thing.  

Bonus: the dressing will keep for a week in the refrigerator, and it's delicious over salad, roasted vegetables, and warm and cold soba noodles.

A simple tomato salad

Caprese salads, margherita pizza, puttanesca sauce...why does everything tomato-centric have to be Italian? This recipe may sound wacky, but trust. You'll love it. (And you can throw in a cooked grain to make it a meal.)

Southeast Asian Tomato Salad

Serves 4 as a side

2 teaspoons fish sauce, or to taste
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
3 large or 4 medium tomatoes,cut into chunks
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh Thai or regular basil, cut into a chiffonade
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

Whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.


Add the sliced tomato, scallions, and jalapeño, basil, and cilantro; gently toss to coat. Top with peanuts and serve. 

Pasta e fagioli on a plate

The combination of white beans, cabbage, and cheese is heavenly, and not at all odd in northern Italy, near the Swiss and Austrian borders.  Eat this for lunch, and then add some vegetable or bean broth to enjoy leftovers as a soup. 

Pasta e fagioli on a plate

Serves 4

2 cups small paste shape
½ yellow onion, diced
1 ½ cups (or 15 oz.) cooked cannellini or garbanzo beans
½ cup shredded green cabbage
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chiffonaded
Zest and juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to boil.  Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

In a large sauté pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cabbage and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Add the beans and garlic, and continue to cook until garlic is fragrant, another 2 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato, salt, red pepper, and chopped herbs and remove from heat.

Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the pan.  Toss with the lemon zest and juice, and drizzle with a little olive oil if it seems to need it.  Sprinkle with cheese or just offer it on the side.

cleaning out the peanut butter container and other adventures in using food scraps

Sorry for the long title--I think I just had a grad school flashback. Perhaps this will one day become a dissertation (I'll only have to add fifteen more words to make it an academically worthy title!), but for now it's a list of easy stuff to do with those last little bits of things that seem a shame to throw away.

leftover peanut butter +
soy sauce
garlic
ginger
hot sauce
rice vinegar
= salad dressing, marinade, dip, soba noodle sauce...

Pour all ingredients to taste directly into the offending peanut butter jar with sickly remains clinging to the sides.  Shake vigorously and pour.

vegetable scraps (tossed into a container and kept in the freezer until ready)
= broth

Simmer scraps in salted water until flavorful, which can take up to an hour depending on how many and what kind of scraps you have.  Strain and make your soup. Every time I make a salad, I add the scraps to the freezer container, and eventually I have enough to make a broth.

apple peels+
3-4 C water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)
1 T honey
1 T lemon juice

Place about 6 full apple peels in a sauce pan and cover with water and lemon juice and cinnamon. Boil about 10 minutes, then strain.  Add the honey to taste and serve.

broccoli stems become pickles in this genius recipe from Purple Kale Kitchen Works.

bread crusts+
food processor
= breadcrumbs (keep in freezer if not used quickly)

stale bread+
olive oil
salt
dried herbs
= croutons
Allow to dry out thoroughly, chop into small pieces and coat with oil, salt, and herbs.  Toast in the oven at 350F, turning once, until golden.