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.