Sesame Seed Farro Bowl with Cucumbers

In my search to use more whole grains, I came across the cookbook the whole food kitchen by amy chaplin.  This recipe uses one of my favorite grains, farro, as the basis for the salad.  The best part is that the only cooking required is the farro and it can be done in advance since it is a room temperature or cold salad.  The sesame seeds in this recipe make it smell deliciously nutty (though there aren't any nuts) and the soy sauce adds a bit of a salty flavor with more depth.  It also keeps well so you can eat this again and several days later after cutting up additional tomatoes and cucumbers.  It has become one of the salads for the summer as I have already made it several times.  If you like farro, you should try this one out.

Parsley Farro Salad with Sesame Seeds
2 1/2 cups cooked farro, cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar with pomegranate (or just red wine vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon light soy sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon tamari)
3/4 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 scallion, finely chopped (more for garnish or reserve some for garnish)
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley (and a little more for garnish)
1 - 1 2/c cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, diced
Additional olive oil or flax oil drizzled on top to serve (if desired)

Place cooled farro in a medium-large bowl.  Sprinkle red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and olive oil over the farro and stir to combine.  Add toasted sesame seeds, parsley, and scallions.  Mix again.  Season to taste with additional soy sauce.  Spoon into bowls and top with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, additional parsley, additional scallions.  Drizzle (if desired) with flax or olive oil and serve.  (Serves 3-4)

Tortilla Soup

Somewhere I was introduced to chicken tortilla soup.  I have since been obsessed with finding what I believe is the best tortilla soup.  I still haven't found it because this one is a vegetarian (or easily can be) version.  I think I will have to try it with chicken to see if it approaches what I have in my head as the perfect chicken tortilla.  At any rate, this recipe based off one in Thug Kitchen, is a delicious, hearty soup.  I have been feeling the need for something filling and warm since the days have been rainy and cool.  This satisfies my desires for hearty, healthy and warm.  I love seeing the piles of cut vegetables just waiting to be turned into something else entirely.  Sometimes when I am grocery shopping I wonder how vegetables have gotten so expensive, but when you compare to any single piece of meat, they aren't.  So buying a pile of them and then dicing them and cooking all the colors together is just so satisfying that I do it all over again in a different combination.  So when we are craving a hearty vegetable soup, this one works well and it comes together quickly.  Give it a try!

Tortilla Soup
serves 4-6

1 yellow onion, diced
10 baby carrots or 1 medium carrot, diced
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
2 jalapenos, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 can (about 15 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
5 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice from 1/2 a lime
6 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch squares
1 15 oz. can chickpeas
Toppings: cilantro, avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

In a large soup pot, saute the onion in oil until it is a little see-through, about 3 minutes.  Add the bell pepper and carrot and cook until everything begins to brown (about 3 more minutes).  Add the jalapenos, garlic, spices and salt and cook for another 30 seconds.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Stir well so it is evenly distributed.  Add the stock and bring to a simmer.  After simmering for a few minutes, add the lime juice and cut corn tortillas.  Stir and then let simmer for another 10 minutes.  (At this point you can puree until everything is smooth or leave it chunky as I did.)  Taste and add spices as needed.  Remove from heat and serve with chickpeas, cilantro, avocado or whatever toppings you desire.

Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Grains

My husband and I have been traveling a number of weekends in a row.  When we get home I am not very inspired to cook until I have had a day of rest, so I asked him what he wanted for dinner the next night.  We had just eaten pasta, which is one of the only things that he cooks, when I asked him what he wanted.  He replied with grains.  I asked for more information and he said that he used to be satisfied with just pasta, pasta and more pasta, but that I have introduced a lot of variety into his diet and now he wanted some of that variety.  So as I was looking through recipes with grains, I remembered Whole Grain Mornings and was determined to have a hot breakfast this morning which would warm me from the inside out.  This is really an easy recipe to throw together especially if you have just a little bit of grains left over from some other recipe.  I didn't, so I cooked up just 1/3 cup of farro, which is one of my most favorite grains.  That 1/3 cup cooked up to quite a bit more than I wanted for just one serving, so I will be eating these scrambled eggs again very soon.

Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Grains
Serves 1 (easily doubled to serve 2)

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup (or two handfuls) greens (I used arugula, but you can also use spinach, Swiss chard, etc.)
1/4 cup cooked grains (I used farro, but you can use wheat berries or barley too)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
pepper and salt to taste

Whisk together eggs, milk and salt.  Heat the tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Saute the green onion and garlic until soft, about 1 minute (as it will continue to cook with the greens).  Add the greens and grain and saute.  (You can add a little more olive oil if you need to.)  When the greens are wilted and grains warm, decrease the heat to low and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir eggs until they are lightly scrambled, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, sprinkle on the chives, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve right away with crusty bread if desired.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

So now you have made your own harissa.  What can you do with it?  Harissa has a bit of a kick due to chilies which are in it.  Below is a recipe which conveniently uses exactly the same amount as the harissa recipe I posted.  This also is based upon at home in the whole food kitchen.  This recipe uses a bunch of fresh vegetables which are then roasted to bring out their sweetness, tossed with quinoa and harissa to balance out the flavors.  It also store well and although best eaten at room temperature, it is also delicious cold if you are like me and can't wait for it to be brought to room temperature before eating it.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Harissa

serves 4-6

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 medium red, orange or yellow peppers, seed and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups cherry tomatoes

5 -6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

sea salt

1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

4 cups cooked quinoa, cooled to room temperature

1/3 cup harissa

1/2 cup chopped flat leafed parsley

5 oz. feta cheese (I really like the 360 brand at whole foods)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place zucchini, peppers, tomatoes in a large bowl and toss with 3-4 tablespoons olive oil and about a 1/2 teaspoons salt.  Divide the vegetables between the two parchment lined baking sheets and place in the preheated oven to roast for about 30 minutes.  Be sure vegetables are in a single flat layer or it will roast unevenly.  Stir vegetables every 10 minutes to ensure even browning.  Once vegetables are lightly browned, remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for about 5-6 minutes or until just turning lightly brown.  Cook on lower heat for another 10-15 minutes to caramelize the onions.  Stir every couple of minutes to ensure that the onion doesn't burn.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.  Fluff with a fork and then add the harissa to the quinoa.  Mix well.  Add the roasted vegetables, onion and parsley.  Toss to combine.  Taste and season with salt as needed.  Crumble the feta cheese over the top.

Homemade Harissa

Over the past year or more I have been reading more and more about harissa.  I never had tasted it, but figured it should be something that I should try.  I have found dozens upon dozens of recipes using harissa as one of the ingredients, but it wasn't until I was reading At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, that I actually came across a recipe for it.  I was so thankful to actually have a recipe which to base the flavors off of that I knew I would have to make it.  Besides, it contains all things that I already have in my pantry so why would I go and buy something which I could make in a few minutes at home with ingredients I already had on hand.  At any rate, it is a simple spice mixture to make and delicious and as spicy as you want it to be.

Homemade Harissa
Makes about 1/3 cup

1 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
3/4 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Warm a small skillet over medium heat and toast the cumin and coriander seeds.  This will take about 2 minutes.  Stir constantly until fragrant.  Transfer seeds to a grinder and grind into a powder.  Add add ingredients to a bowl and stir until smooth.  This makes 1/3 cup and will keep in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for about 2 months.  You can also reduce the amount of olive oil to make it more of a paste if that is what you need in your recipe.

Blueberry Brioche

I have read a lot of recipes about brioche.  I have also eaten my fair share of it, though I have never attempted before to make it, let alone a variation of the bread.  But when I saw the cover of Huckleberry, I knew that I would have to make it sooner or later.  I bought the book for a friend of mine as she has more time to bake than I.  Plus, when I have the time, I tend to be experimenting with dinner recipes rather than baking.   I also feel that baking isn't really where I need to spend my time learning as I have been baking since I was quite young.  My grandma lived on the same street, and she would often bake on Saturday morning.  When I was a little older I would bake with her.  She would make a full sized version of cinnamon rolls and then give me enough dough to make a miniature version which was all mine to eat.  So, while I enjoy baking, I really enjoy eating good food, so I spend my time on that endeavor instead of baking.

Blueberry Brioche

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 1/4 cups flour

6 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the top

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft

Place the fresh blueberries on a plate and freeze.  (Frozen blueberries are too watery, so freeze your own from fresh.  I often buy extra berries and freeze them immediate for use during the winter.)  Warm the milk to 105-115 F (warmer will kill the yeast).  Add milk to a mixing bowl and add the yeast.  Whisk to combine.  Add the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, eggs and egg yolk to the bowl.  Mix on low speed (with a dough hook) until the dough comes together, 1-2 minutes.

Increase speed to medium-low and work dough for 6 minutes.  Push the dough down the sides a few times during the 6 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and add the butter a little at a time over 2 minutes.  When the butter is beginning to be combined, increase speed to medium -high to fully mix in the butter, about 5 minutes.

Dump the dough on a lightly floured work surface and press into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle.  Distribute the blueberries and 2 tablespoons sugar along the top edge and gently roll down toward you into a log.

Place the log on a greased sheet pan, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Reshape the dough one more time by pressing into a 12 x 6 inch rectangle and cover with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.  With the dough in a vertical position, roll it towards you tightly.  Place in the greased loaf pan, wrap loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 3 hours or until double in size.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Brush the dough with some milk and dust with sugar.  (Don't let it pool.)  Bake until golden brown - about 45 minutes.  Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Nutty Millet Cookies

When I first read this recipe for millet cookies, I thought that millet was something that only birds ate and squirrels avoided.  I had no idea that people could eat it, but why not?  It is a whole grain and you can find it both ground and as a seed.  Since reading Whole Grain Mornings (from which I adapted this recipe), I have discovered many grains that I have heard of, but didn't really know how to use or incorporate into my baking/cooking.  Also, if you are looking for something gluten-free, millet is one of those you can use in your baking.  It can also toast it to enhance it's flavor.  I did not however toast them in my recipe, but they add a nice crunch to the cookies.  At any rate, try these out.  They are healthy enough to be eaten for breakfast and filling enough to be eaten as a snack.  The raisins add just enough sweetness to take care of cravings.

Nutty Millet Breakfast Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ground millet flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup whole millet

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 maple syrup

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, millet, bran, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture, folding in with a wooden spoon until incorporated.  Stir the raisins and pecans into the dough until evenly dispersed.  Make sure all of the wet and dry ingredients are combined.  Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Scoop out about 1-2 tablespoons of dough and form a ball.  (I use a cookie scoop.) Place the balls about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  Bake until golden brown around the edges and firmed yet still slightly soft in the center, about 10 minutes.  Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  They should remain fresh for 3-4 days.