Breakfast barley with toasted nuts and honey

We loosely followed this recipe for barley cooking instructions: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/barley-breakfast-bowl-mixed-berry-compote Our modifications: first, we halved the recipe to two servings, preparing ½ cup uncooked pearled barley, 1 ½ cups water, and 1/8 tsp salt. Second, instead of fruit compote, for the garnish we used ¼ cup total toasted unsalted pecans, walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds… Continue reading Breakfast barley with toasted nuts and honey

Chinese carrot and celery salad

We tried this recipe: https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2012/07/celery-and-carrot-tossed-with-sesame-recipe.html For the Sichuan peppercorns, we used ¼ tsp that we toasted and then ground with a mortar and pestle. At the end, we added ½ tsp of Marukan salad seasoning rice vinegar (yellow label) for brightness. (Dec. 2020) Source: Andrea Nguyen, author and teacher, Vietworldkitchen.com.

Fruit and oat bars with Middle Eastern flavors

We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013145-white-house-fruit-and-oat-bars?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share We made substantial modifications, including Middle Eastern flavors (pomegranate molasses, dates, and pistachios): first, for the syrup, we combined 6 Tbsp canola oil; ¼ cup each light brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and pomegranate molasses (for a total of 1 cup sweetener). Second, for the fiber, we used 2 cups… Continue reading Fruit and oat bars with Middle Eastern flavors

Simple basil pesto

We tried this Ina Garten recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pesto-recipe-1951665 It was delicious, but a bit too runny. The next time, we will reduce the olive oil by 1/3. (Or perhaps we should have measured the basil leaves more tightly instead of loosely.) We served this pesto with cavatappi and some quartered grape tomatoes. (Sept. 2020)

Moroccan spiced lentil and chickpea soup (harira)

We tried this recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spiced-moroccan-vegetable-soup-with-chickpeas-cilantro-and-lemon-harira Although this recipe calls for 7 cups chicken broth, it could easily be substituted for vegetable broth to make the soup vegetarian. For the spices, we found it slightly underseasoned; we recommend adding 50% more harissa, cumin, and turmeric. (Sept. 2020)