Spinach Barley Sauté

This is one of my favorite dishes! It can be eaten warm in the winter, yet it is also delicious, cool and refreshing in the summer.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup barley, rinsed
• 3 cups fresh spinach, washed and torn
• ½ cup raisins
• olive oil
• garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation:

1. Place barley in a pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Set aside.
2. While the barley is cooking, sauté the garlic and raisins in the olive oil, for just 90 seconds!
3. Add the spinach, sauté until it is wilted and not overcooked.
4. Mix spinach sauté to cooked barley and season.
5. Just before you are ready to enjoy this dish, sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.

Tuna and White Bean Salad
A simple meal, refreshing and cool: perfect for summer!

Ingredients:
• 2 6-oz cans of tuna, drained
• 1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 roasted red peppers, packed in a jar also works
• 2 Tablespoons capers

• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped (optional)

• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• Toasted bread, for serving

To Prepare:
In a large bowl, combine the tuna, beans, red peppers, capers, lemon zest, and tomato (if using). In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, and black pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and toss. Serve with the bread.
**For a variation, try adding olives, red onion, or jarred artichokes. **

Roasted Veggies Delicious as a side dish or as an addition to a green or grain salad.

Ingredients:
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves – crushed and minced

• 3 medium eggplants – sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges, each wedge cut into 3 pieces

• 3 large red bell peppers – cut into bite size pieces

• 2 medium red onions – cut into 8 wedges, layers separated


• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)

• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

To Prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Put all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the thyme leaves in, and drizzle the olive oil over the mixture.

3. Use your clean hands to mix the vegetables with the oil and herbs.

4. Arrange the mixture on a large baking sheet, spreading them in an even layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables and place in the oven.

5. Roast vegetables for 15 – 20 minutes, turning over once during this time, until the eggplant is tender when pricked with a knife. Remove from the oven and either serve immediately, or let them cool for later use in a green or grain salad.

Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad

A cool summer salad

Ingredients:
• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups water

• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

• 1/2 red onion, chopped

Dressing: 

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 1/4 cup sesame tahini

• Zest of one lemon

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons hot water

• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

*an easy alternative to this dressing would be using yogurt, dill and lemon juice.

To Prepare:
1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt.

3. Toss the cooked quinoa, beans, cilantro, red onion, and half of the dressing. Add more dressing if you like and season with more salt to taste. Serve garnished with a bit of cilantro.

Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Nuts
Served warm or cold – whatever summer mood you’re in!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 ½ cups green onions, sliced
• 1 ½ cups celery, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup pecans
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 8 oz buffalo mozzarella, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 3 T olive oil
• 4 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp ground cumin

To Prepare:

1. Place the rinsed quinoa in boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow the quinoa to cool.

2. Mix together the onions, celery, parsley, pecans, cranberries, walnuts and mozzarella. Note: I’ve been using “candied” pecans for a yummy variation…

3. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, mustard and cumin. Slowly add in olive oil in a steady stream.

4. Toss dressing with quinoa. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
(recipe adapted from http://cookingquinoa.net)

Ginger Jewel Salad Summer = salads! You can have fun with this delicious and light dish by experimenting with any dried fruits, just try to imagine if it will pair well with ginger and go from there. This recipe uses a festive combination of dried fruits with leafy red romaine lettuce and some little gem lettuce. You can use whatever lettuce looks the most vibrant at the store or from your own garden. Feel free to make the vinaigrette the day before.

Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger juice, made by grating a 4-5-inch piece of ginger into a pile and then pressing it against a strainer to extract the ginger juice
• 2 tablespoons white wine or Champagne vinegar
• fine grain sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, very finely chopped
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup dried figs, stems trimmed, quartered
• 1/3 cup dried pluots, chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
• 5 big handfuls of leafy salad greens, washed and dried

To Prepare:
1. In a Mason jar or medium bowl make the ginger vinaigrette by whisking together the ginger juice, vinegar, jalapeno, and a couple big pinches of salt.
2. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the jar, whisking all the while. Stop when the dressing takes on a slightly creamy appearance. Taste and adjust the flavors if needed. Set aside. NOTE: Hold off dressing the salad until just before you are ready to serve it. This will help to keep the lettuce vibrant and lively.
3. In a large bowl toss the figs, pluots, hazelnuts with a generous splash of the dressing. Once they are nicely coated, add the lettuce, a bit more vinaigrette, and a pinch of salt. Gently toss until the lettuce is evenly coated. Taste and adjust if needed. The little bits of fruit and nuts tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl, so before serving scoop them back up from the bottom so you end up with plenty of rice and fruit on top.
4. This recipe also works well with some blue cheese or goat cheese.