I busted out my sprouting jar, got a tablespoon of green lentils and followed the same recipe/method for the alfalfa and mung been sprouts.  I was a bit skeptical because green lentils are pretty tough and only begin to soften after 20 minutes of simmering, how could they get tender from simple rinses of water over the course of 4 days?  It turns out sprouts work in mysterious ways, the lentils came out tender and delicious, perfect to top off a salad or to just snack on!

Green lentil Salad w/ Mushrooms & Thyme
1 C green lentils
1 Celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1/2 package mushrooms, medium chopped
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
bunch of scallions, chopped
1 TBS champagne vinegar
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Put lentils in a pot with celery, carrot, onion, bay, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cover with water and let simmer until lentils are tender (20-30mins) and skim off the foam that appears on the surface.  While lentils are simmering saute the mushrooms with olive oil and freshly chopped thyme. When the lentils are tender, drain and let cool and discard the vegetables and bay leaves.  In a large bowl combine lentils and mushrooms, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil to moisten the mixture and add a splash of champagne or white wine vinegar to awaken all the flavors.  Add the scallions and your work week salad is complete.

This salad is tasty warm or cold, if I have goat cheese on hand i like to sprinkle it on top, but my Man Crow persists it is fine without.

Grilled Chicken & Rice Salad

RICE: I chose brown rice for this salad and since it takes a while to cook it’s wise to start that first.  I like to cook my rice in stock to enhance the flavor, but if I don’t have any around then I just add some crushed garlic cloves, bay leaf, salt and red pepper flakes.  The easy part about rice is that it doesn’t need much tending so while it cooks you can prepare the rest of the meal.
VEGGIES: Since the theme here is easy I just went with red onion and red bell pepper.  I already preheated the grill for the chicken so thought it would also be a simple way to cook the pepper and onion. I put the pepper on the grill whole making sure to char it on all sides.  Once charred, place the pepper in a covered bowl and let steam for 15 minutes, then peel and slice.  If your pepper is massive, which was true for my case, put the leftover red pepper slices in a small jar or container with olive oil and save them for a future pizza or sandwich.   The onion took much less effort; just slice it in 1/4 inch rings, brush with olive oil and toss it right on the grill.  Once you get some grill marks flip them once, then chop up in half or quarters.
MARINADE:  Combine the juice of one lemon, 3-4 crushed garlic cloves, 1tsp of honey, freshly chopped oregano and or thyme, 3 TBS of white balsamic or champagne vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.   Whisk in 1/4C olive oil. Pour 3/4 of the marinade over the chicken and reserve the remaining to stir into the brown rice and veggie mixture.

The rest of the recipe is pretty straightforward: Combine cooked rice, roasted veggies and remainder of marinade in a large serving bowl.  Grill the chicken, let it rest and then slice it into strips to serve over the rice mixture.  We had leftovers, so for my lunch the following day I heated up a wrap, added sliced chicken and rice, rolled it up and I was good to go.  It seems like a lot of steps but it all can be done in the 40 minutes it takes to cook the brown rice.

Roasted Veggie & Barley Salad with Ginger-Garlic Dressing

This recipe stemmed from a night that I got home late from work and really wanted to order out for dinner but felt the guilt of having so many fresh veggies in my fridge so I bit the bullet and whipped up this salad in about 40 minutes.  I know I went over the 30 minute Rachel Ray/easy week night meal time limit but she totally gets help from kitchen elves during commercial breaks and 40 minutes is not a long time for a normal human to make a tasty dinner.

BARLEY:  Cook one cup of barley in a pot of salted water, for about 20 minutes or until tender.
VEGGIES:  Toss veggies in olive oil, soy sauce and garlic and roast in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Use what ever veggies you have on hand, I had broccoli, string beans, zucchini, carrots and onion.
DRESSING: Combine 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp honey, grated garlic and ginger, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce (I didn’t measure these but im guessing around 1-2 TBS).  Whisk in olive oil and pour it over the roasted veggie and barley mixture.

There you have it, one recipe for the carnivore and one for the vegetarian.

Leeks are probably my favorite aromatic, perfect base for soups and risotto.  I’ve been making so much potato and leek soup lately  i needed a change and opted for a risotto.  Not sure if this will be my last risotto of the cold months but if so it was a delicious farewell.

Risotto with Leeks & Swiss Chard
I realized I was out of white wine when I started this dish but improvised with vermouth and lemon juice- in a pinch it compensates for the acid component.

1 C Arborio rice
1 Quart vegetable stock*
1/4 C white wine
2 leeks, light green and white parts sliced and
washed to remove sand and grit
1 carrot, sliced
1 bunch chard, washed and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 C grated cheese
2 TBS butter
olive oil, salt and pepper

Use whatever risotto technique you prefer, this one works well for me- begin sauteing the aromatics and stir in the chard when half of the stock is absorbed.  At first I was nervous about the amount of chard I added to the risotto but it really cooks down so don’t be shy!

* Save the chard stems for your next vegetable stock.

Red Wine Mushroom Risotto
I dubbed this version “red wine” mushroom risotto because the last time I made it I used a white wine and missed out on the striking burgundy color.

Ingredients:
1 C Arborio rice
1 Quart Stock, mushroom would work nice but chicken or vegetable are fine
1/4 C red wine
1 package mushrooms, medium sliced*
1 celery stock, diced
1 large shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS freshly chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
2 TBS butter
1/4 C parm or pecorino romano
Salt & Pepper to taste

BEFORE you start on the risotto make sure you bring stock to a low simmer.
MELT 1 TBS butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a heavy stock pot.
SAUTEE shallots, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper until tender and add rice.
COOK rice until it becomes translucent and then deglaze with wine.
ONCE wine is absorbed add stock in batches making sure it is absorbed before adding more.
WHEN half of the stock is added stir in mushrooms and thyme and continue to add stock until the rice is tender but still holds its consistency.
TURN off heat, stir in remaining butter (should be room temperature) and grated cheese, remove bay leaf and its ready to serve!

*Riane was in charge of chopping the mushrooms and I’m glad she chose to slice them medium thick- they really held up in the cooking process.

The beets I used were the “candy-striped” variety so that’s why they do not appear that vibrant red in the picture above.  I quartered and steamed them for around 30-40 minutes until they became tender and the peeling came off with ease.  From there I chopped them into a small dice, put them in a jar and covered them with olive oil and red wine vinegar.  My taste buds fall on the side of salty/sour so I like to add alot of vinegar to my beets to balance our the sweetness but if you are a fan of sweet then you should hold back on the vinegar.

The beets were the hard part, the rest of the salad came together in a breeze.  Arugula, crumbled raw goat cheese, toasted walnuts, sliced red onion and a honey-balsamic vinaigrette.  I figured the honey would compensate for the lack of dried cranberries and it did the trick!

These types of salads are always pricey on restaurant menus but are super simple to recreate in your own kitchen so keep this in mind!

spicy hummus

in a food processor combine:

• 1 can chickpeas
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp mild paprika
• 1/4tsp cayenne
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4C olive oil
• 1/4C chopped fresh parsley

adjust to taste and consistency.  ever since my mom got me a food processor for christmas years ago i have been on the prowl for bean dips, and i must say, this will replace my old white bean standby.   the cayenne really adds a nice kick and w/my sensitive palette, i stuck to the recipes, but im sure it could handle a pinch or two extra.  i also made the old stand by pita chips which can be made easily by cutting up pita into wedges.  coating each w/some olive oil, s & p, and italian seasoning. bake at 350F for about 5 min per side.

Dates Stuffed with Parmesan Slivers and Pecans

• 24 large dates
• 2oz chunk of parm
• 24 whole pecans

with a sharp knife, cut a slit in each of the dates an remove the pits. using a veggie peeler, cut the parm into thin ribbons.  stuff each date with 1 nut and as many cheese ribbons as will fit.  

this is a delicious and versatile treat.  the extreme sweetness of the dates and the saltiness of the cheese combine to perfection in your mouth and looks beautiful.  get creative and try other salty hard cheese such as manchego, and mix and match nuts, walnuts would also be delish!

these are great finger foods and really cute for hosting cocktail parties

Mirepoix Risotto with Lemon Roasted Chicken

Mirepoix Risotto: Mirepoix sounds fancy but it is just the french word for the trinity of celery, onions and carrots- the foundation for chicken soup.  I sauteed these vegetables plus some garlic and bay leaf to make a basic risotto.  At the end rather than stirring in grated cheese I used lemon zest to give it a nice bite; a great suggestion I borrowed from emily’s recipe.  I also stirred in some peas  to compensate for the vibrant green that got cooked out of the celery.
Lemon Roasted Chicken: It would have been great to roast a whole chicken, but since I was only cooking for two I decided to go for Chicken Tender strips they sell at Harvest (best deal around $3.50 a pound).  I tossed them with olive oil, salt pepper and dried oregano then layered some lemon slices over the top.  Baked in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes, then let them sit on the stove top covered for another 10 minutes the let the juices redistribute.  Garnish with a little fresh parsley or chopped celery leaves and dinner is served.

I breaded two filets of mahi mahi (Trader Joe’s has yummy flash-frozen filets for pretty cheap) and pan-fried them in a bit of olive oil. Success! The crust turned out crispy and delicious.

As for the pilaf? Bon Appetit wins again. Check out the recipe here.

I saw this recipe on Real Simple a couple weeks ago and was dying to try it out- not something I would usually go for but since the main ingredient is barley how could I not enjoy it?

Creamy Barley Salad with Apples

Minor alterations: I used a little less yogurt than the recipe called for- I don’t like my grains drenched in dressing.  Also I didn’t have any mint on hand so I added some chopped celery leaves for some freshness.  In the future I may play around with adding thinly sliced red onion or some radishes to beef up the savory flavors.

Next savory dish on my horizon: Apple, Potato, and Onion Gratin…stay tuned!