Mushroom Barley Risotto

I've tried cooking with barley a couple of different times, and while I'm still not 100% convinced I like it, there are a couple of things to note.

First, pot barley and pearl barley are two very different grains, even though they look almost identical. Pot barley takes longer to cook as it is the whole grain with only the outer inedible hull removed. Pearl barley has been polished, and is quicker cooking, but not as nutritious. I'm pretty sure one of the times I didn't like the recipe I was using pearl barley instead of pot barley, and just overcooked the whole thing.

Secondly, my favourite recipes with barley so far have included other grains that provide a texture contrast. One example is a barley and rice salad. While the barley is a little chewy, the crunchier rice evens out the texture experience.

I'm going to continue to experiment with barley, as with lots of other grains. This recipe below was pretty good, although the texture still isn't my favourite.

Mushroom Barley Risotto

- 1 pkg (14g) mixed dried mushrooms

- 3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 small onion, diced

- 3 green onions, sliced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 cup sliced fresh cremini mushrooms

- 1 1/4 cup pot barley

- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

In heatproof bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over dried mushrooms; let stand for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid, coarsely chop and set aside.

In saucepan, bring soaking liquid, chicken broth and 2 1/2 cups water to simmer; reduce heat and keep warm.

In separate saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion, green onions and garlic until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Add soaked mushrooms and cremini mushrooms; saute until almost no liquid remains, about 5 minutes.

Add barley; cook, stirring to coat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add hot broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until liquid is absorbed before adding more. This process will take about 45 minutes, until creamy and barley is tender but still slightly firm.

Stir in parsley and season with salt. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Veggie Potstickers

I love potstickers! I don't eat a lot of fried food, but the way these are prepared with a little pan-frying and finishing off being steamed, I could probably eat the whole batch myself!

A note regarding Napa cabbage. Did you know that oftentimes it is labeled as Bok Choy at the grocery store? I'm sure there are slight variations between the two, I just pull up a photo of what I'm looking for on my iphone and grab the cabbage that most closely resembles it!

Veggie Potstickers

- 3 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded

- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

- 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari

- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

- 1 medium carrot, grated on finest holes of grater

- 24+ wonton wrappers

Asian Dipping Sauce

- 1/4 cup tamari

- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil

- 1/2 lemon, zested

Stir all ingredients together in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Filling - Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and garlic and cook until leeks begin to soften, 3 - 4 minutes. Add cabbage, vinegar, tamari and ginger, and cook, stirring until cabbage is soft, another 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the carrot. Allow filling to cool.

Transfer to mixing bowl and work together until fully incorporated. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Assembly - Lay a wonton wrapper on the work surface and put about 1 tbsp of filling in the centre. Using your finger, wet edges of the wrapper. Bring outside edges together over the filling and press together to form a little pouch. Continue with remaining wrappers and filling.

Cooking - Heat remaining oil in a very large skillet over high heat. Place all of the potstickers upright in the pan and cook, without disturbing them, until browned on the bottom, about 1 - 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and immediately cover. Allow potstickers to steam for about 3 minutes, then remove lid. Continue cooking until all the water is evaporated.

Now remember, they are called potstickers for a reason and it's okay if you lose a couple in the process of transferring to the serving platter.

Serve with the Dipping sauce and enjoy!

Vegetable Curry with Cashews

Here is another great vegetarian dish. When I was shopping for this meal, I had real trouble locating Madras curry powder. Low and behold, it's labeled as Hot Curry Powder, and on the back of the label it says Hot (or Madras) Curry Powder. Wish I had known that before I searched for 20 minutes! We served this dinner with vegetable samosa's and a cucumber salad after an afternoon of snowshoeing. I chopped and prepped everything in advance, and the actual cooking took no time at all.

Vegetable Curry with Cashews

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 2 tsp cumin seeds

- 2 cups unpeeled eggplant, diced in 1/2 inch cubes

- 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 2 cups 1/2 inch cauliflower florets

- 1 cup diced onion

- 1 cup diced carrot

- 1 cup green beans, cut in 1/2 inch lengths (I used frozen beans)

- 2-3 tsp minced, seeded jalapeno pepper

- 1 tbsp minced, peeled, fresh ginger

- 1 tbsp Madras (or hot) curry powder

- 1 clove garlic, grated

- 1 tsp coarse salt

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- 13.5 ounce can regular or light coconut milk

- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped unsalted cashews

- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until they are a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and chickpeas and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, 5 minutes.

Add cauliflower, onion, carrot, green beans, jalapeno, ginger, curry powder, garlic, salt and turmeric. Cook, stirring for five minutes.

Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with cashews and cilantro and serve with rice and naan bread.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

This soup is a little different than your regular vegetable soup. The addition of a cinnamon stick during the simmering really adds a nice flavour that you don't usually find in this type of soup. This is another great one to make on Sunday for the week ahead, as it does not take very long.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 cup each chopped carrot and sliced celery

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1/2 tsp dried oregano

- 1/4 tsp ground cumin and hot pepper flakes

- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped

- 1 sweet green pepper, chopped

- 1/2 cup passata (strained tomatoes)

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 1 each bay leaf and cinnamon stick

- salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, salt, cumin and hot pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.

Add sweet potato and green pepper; cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Stir in passata, 4 cups water, chickpeas, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, around 20 - 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick

Toffee Cookie Brittle

I love baking, however I really don't like having it at home. The problem being most recipes make quite a bit, there's only two of us here, and Brent doesn't have as much of a sweet tooth or self-control problem like me. So when I get the opportunity to bake for a birthday, or a holiday, I take full advantage and try out new recipes. Brent's office was having a bake sale for Valentine's day, so I got to work and found a new recipe that seemed simple enough. Turns out there wasn't enough interest for the bake sale, but I sent him to work with the goods anyways, because these little pieces are addictive!!

Toffee Cookie Brittle

- 1 1/4 cups butter, softened

- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 cup chocolate chips

- 6 Skor bars (39g), chopped

Set out 17 x 11 inch rimmed baking sheet; leave ungreased.

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in vanilla and salt. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped chocolate bars.

Gently squeeze handfuls of dough just until mixture holds together; pat evenly into baking sheet. Bake in centre of 325F oven until just firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack; break into pieces.

I tried to use a cookie cutter to make heart shapes when they come right out of the oven, before they harden to break. Idea works in theory, however the cookie cutter gets super hot, so I only got through about 6 of them. No need to have pretty shapes though, just break up the pieces and try not to eat too many of them at once!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

This is another great slow cooker meal for those days we get out to enjoy some winter activities. There's nothing like coming inside after a long day on the ski hill and being assaulted with the aroma of chili that's been cooking all day. I took a cue from my Mom when I was home at Christmas and tried browning some vegetables first. I think she roasts them, which is something I should try next time. The measurements below are my best estimates. One of the great things about chili is that you can really just use what you have, and add or subtract as you'd like.

Vegetarian Chili

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 - 3 stalks celery, chopped

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 2 - 3 cups cauliflower florets

- 2 - 3 cups broccoli florets

- 28 oz can diced tomatoes

- 2 - 3 cans (19oz) of beans (chickpeas, red or white kidney beans, black beans)

- 1/4 cup tomato paste

- 1 or 2 tbsp chili powder

- oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and other spices

In saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil. Saute onion, celery, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli with some sea salt.

Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Add tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and spices. Stir to combine.

Cook on low heat for 6 - 8 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkled with cheese and some toast.

Multigrain Loaf

I've made my own bread a few times before, mostly buns and french loafs. While this recipe takes some time, what with preparing the starter the night before, and the two rises, it is definitely worth it! It is great for sandwiches, toast and just plain warm out of the oven with a little butter. This recipe is from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book, a great resource for a ton of awesome recipes!

Multigrain Loaf

- 4 cups multigrain bread flour

- 1 cup warm water

- 2 tbsp buckwheat honey (I couldn't find this so used a dark grade honey)

- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Starter:

- 1 tsp granulated sugar

- 1 cup warm water

- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

- 1 cup multigrain bread flour

Starter: In large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, stirring until mixture is consistency of thick pancake batter, about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand in warm place until bubbly and puffy, 8 to 12 hours.

Stir in 3 1/4 cups of the flour, warm water, honey and salt to make sticky dough. Turn out onto generously floured surface. Knead, dusting with as much of the remaining flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth and elastic; about 8 minutes. Form into ball and place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough (one of my favourite parts!). Shape into ball; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Press into 11 x 8 inch rectangle. Starting at short end, roll up into cylinder; pinch along bottom and ends to seal. Fit, seam side down, into greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Cover with clean tea towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Dust loaf with 1/2 more of flour. Slash top lengthwise down centre, starting and ending about 1 inch from edges of pan. Bake in centre of 375F oven until instant-read thermometer registers 215F and loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 50 - 60 minutes. Transfer to rack and let cool.