Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Good Grain Salads

Bon Appetit's June 2012 issue devoted an entire section to one of my favorite topics: grain salads. I already posted the recipe for one of the salads I made from this issue (Crunchy Brown Rice Salad), but there are a couple others I want to acknowledge. In a much earlier post I raved about grain salads - how they are a great go-to lunch that will keep you satiated and energized throughout your work day. And to boot, grain salads are an incredibly easy dinner and overall delectable meal...a one-bowl wonder. Unfortunately I did not have a lot of the ingredients called for in Bon Appetit's recipes, so I did what I do best...improvised with what I had. The result - two gorgeous grain salads that I will be sure to make again and again and again. What can I say? I love a good grain salad!

Curried Barley Salad (adapted from Curried Spelt Salad)
*please note that the only similarity between my recipe and Bon Appetit's is the spice mixture. I literally had NONE of the other ingredients...oh well, it still turned out fantastic!


Ingredients:
-1 cup uncooked barley
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
-2 teaspoons mustard seeds
-3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
-3/4 teaspoons ground coriander
-1 sweet potato, diced 
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-2 large shallots, sliced
-1/2 lemon, chopped with the peel
-1/2 block of tofu, cubed
-2 cups arugula
-salt and pepper to taste
**spices are only expensive if you buy them in a large grocery store in the baking aisle (total scam); go to your local dollar store, ethnic food groceries, or ethnic food aisles - spices in these places will usually cost you $1 


Directions:
1. Cook barley according to package
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add curry powder, mustard seeds, cardamom, and coriander. Cook until you start to smell the spices and the mustard seeds have popped (about 3-4 minutes)
3. Add sweet potato to skillet and stir well to coat with spices; cook until sweet potatoes are tender and a fork can easily pierce through (10-15 minutes)
4. Add tofu cubes and stir until well coated; cook for 5 or so more minutes, until tofu starts to brown a little.
5. Add vinegar to skillet and cook until it evaporates; add shallots and lemon. Remove skillet from pan and keep stirring until shallots are wilted.
6. Combine barley and veggie-tofu mixture in a bowl; add arugula. Mix well. 


Great Grains Tabbouleh (adapted from Quinoa Tabbouleh)
*try this recipe with any kind of grain - the Bon Appetit recipe calls for quinoa, I used wheat berries, and traditionally tabbouleh is made with bulgur. Clearly there is room for creativity. 


Ingredients:
-1/2 cup wheat berries
-1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1 English cucumber, diced (do not peel or take out the seeds)
-2 tomatoes, chopped
-1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
-2 scallions, thinly sliced
-salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Cook wheat berries (or any other grain) according to package
2. Whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl; slowly add the olive oil
3. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, herbs, and wheat berries in a bowl
4. Add vinaigrette to bowl and mix well, making sure to coat all ingredients
-Optional: add some crumbled feta cheese or chopped kalamata olives for an added kick!


Have you made any good grain salads lately?

No comments:

Post a Comment