Barley Risotto with Spinach and Tofu

This is a wonderful dish and surely a hit in our home. I served this dish last night with the zucchini-tomato-eggplant gratin for my family. Feel free to experiment with additional vegetables to add to this dish. I suggest adding the vegetables toward the last 5-7 minuutes of cooking to prevent soggy vegetables. We have added peas, carots, celery and many more vegetables. Contrary to the restaurant risotto, this dish is not heavy with dairy products and very high in complex carbohydrates and protein.

Serves 6

Ingredient List
• 3 no-salt-added vegetable bouillon cubes
• 2 cups quick-cooking barley
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 3 large shallots, chopped (1 cup)
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
• 12 oz. chopped organic baby spinach (8 cups)
• 2 organic zucchini or yellow squash, chopped
• 1 8-oz. pkg. organic firm tofu, cubed
• 3 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese (optional topping)
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives (optional topping)

Directions
1. Place bouillon cubes and 6 cups water in large glass measuring cup, and heat in microwave 5 minutes, or until boiling. Stir to combine.

2. Toast barley in skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to bowl.

3. In same skillet, heat 1 Tbs. oil over medium heat. Add shallots, and sauté 4 minutes, stirring often. Return barley to pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in wine, and cook 3 minutes, or until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Add 1/2 cup bouillon and sun-dried tomatoes, Stir in tofu ,and cook 4 minutes, or until liquid is almost completely absorbed, stirring constantly.

4. Continue adding bouillon 1/2 cup at a time, and stir and cook 5 minutes, allowing barley to absorb most of liquid before adding more.

5. Add spinach a few handfuls at a time, and cook until spinach is wilted. Add in the chopped zucchini or squash.

6. Continue cooking until barley has absorbed the liquid or until barley is tender. Serve!

7. Optional Toppings to Dish: Parmesan cheese and chives.

Zucchini-Tomato-Eggplant Gratin

For a light entrée on a summer night, this dish is just the ticket. I purchased the Japanese eggplant and basil at our local farmer's market this last weekened. The basil was a purple color which added more color to this dish. I suggest adding a light layer of shredded mozzarella cheese over the last 20 minutes of the dish in the oven. Enjoy!

Ingredient List
Serves 4
• 1 1/2 lb. tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (4 tomatoes)
• 2 medium zucchini (1 lb.), cut into 1/8-inch-thick diagonal slices
• 1 Japanese eggplant
• 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 oz.), divided
• 2 Tbs. roughly chopped kalamata olives (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat 1 tsp. oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté zucchini 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to plate. Do this in 2 batches if necessary, adding more oil between batches.
3. Layer half of zucchini slices in 8-inch-square baking pan. Top with half of tomatoes and half of the chopped eggplant. Sprinkle with half of garlic, 1 Tbs. olives, half of basil, and ı/4 cup Parmesan cheese; season with freshly ground black pepper.
4. Repeat with remaining zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, chopped eggplant, olives (optional), and basil. Drizzle top with 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
5. Cover with foil, and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 20 minutes more, or until cheese is melted and gratin is bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Soy Tempeh Skillet

This is a recipe I came up with while playing with the ingredients I had in my refrigerator and pantry. All the ingredients came from Trader Joes. The Tempeh is now accessible in the refrigerated section. You can also substitute the red onion for shallots or sweet onions. You can also choose yellow or red peppers instead of green peppers.

This is a fast, healthy and protein packed meal. This is an ideal and easy choice for a quick dinner or lunch.

Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 red organic onion, finely diced
- 1/2 organic green pepper, finely diced
- 1 organic Zucchini, chopped
- 2 cups crumbled soy (Use Morningstar, Boca, or your choice)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 can italian seasoned tomatoes
- 2 cups tempeh
- Shredded organic Soy cheese for topping

Instructions:
1. Heat your wok or skillet on medium heat
2. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
3. Add onions, peppers and zuccini and grill for 2 minutes
4. Add 2 cups of soy and tempeh and mix well for 1-2 minutes
5. Add the 1/2 can of tomatoes and mix well.
6. Pour into a bowl and top with shredded soy cheese.

**Alternative Choice: Follow steps one through five. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour into pyrex caserole dish and layer top with shredded soy cheese. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and top is brown**

Serve and Enjoy!!!

Candied Clementine Cake

So I have to admit that I have not baked this cake yet, but it is on my goal list for this week. Our local farmers market is this Sunday and I plan on purchasing fresh, organic clementines for this summertime desert. I originally came across this recipe on a vegan site (http://veganyumyum.com). I will post comments after I cook this desert! This recipe below makes one bundt cake.

Ingredients:
Candied Clementine Cake

1 1/2 Cup Candied Clementine Puree, around 5-8 clementines
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 Cup Soymilk, or other non-dairy milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Fresh Clementines, for garnish

Clementine Poured Fondant
1 1/4 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
3 Tbs Fresh Clementine Juice, or other citrus (about 3 clementines)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F
2. Puree the clementines in a food processor until fairly smooth.
3. Combine the clementine puree with the oil, soymilk, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.
4. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in another bowl.
5. Grease a bundt pan with spray oil, vegan margarine like Earth Balance, or vegetable shortening. Scoop a few spoonfuls of the dry mixture into the greased bundt pan and turn the pan to coat the sides and center spike. Rap the pan against the counter to loosen any extra flour and pour it back into the dry mixture.
6. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until combined. Pour the batter into prepared bundt pan. It’s okay if it’s a little thick.
7. Bake at 350º F for 45-50 minutes.
8. Let cool upside-down on a large plate. After a few minutes the cake should drop out of the pan onto the plate in one piece. Let cake cool completely before icing.

The Icing-Clementine Poured Fondant
Ingredients: Whisk powdered sugar with 3 Tbs of clementine juice. Add to a small sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil for 10-20 seconds, or until it reaches the soft-ball stage (235-240º F).

Instructions:
Remove from heat and whisk constantly until it starts to thicken. At first, the icing will be a glossy yellow (similar to egg yolks), and it will gradually thicken and become lighter as it cools. You want to pour it over the cake when it’s very clearly thickened, but not too cool (i.e. thick) to pour. If the icing becomes too thick, simply reheat and start again.

Dust the cake with powdered sugar to finish, and garnish with fresh clementine segments.

Swiss Patty Melt with Peas

So it’s Monday afternoon and I am flipping through the Whole Foods coupon book they had out at their markets, and came across this healthy meal. It called for a few ingredients and thought this would be a great new meal for my husband. I was so excited to find a new recipe to try out for him to enjoy.

This is a gluten free, sugar conscious alternative to the patty melt you would see in a deli or sandwich shop. This recipe called for ground, lean organic turkey breast meat rather than ground beef. If you have ground chicken this would work just fine too. Gary loved it! It was filling, juicy and high in protein. I served the dish with steamed assortment of vegetables such as carrots, corn, beans and peas. Let me know your thoughts after serving this delicious, healthy meal!

Serving Size: 1
Ingredients:
½ lb ground turkey, formed into a patty
Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ small onion, sliced
¼ cup frozen organic green peas
2 tablespoons of grated Swiss cheese, or 2 slices of Swiss cheese

Instructions
1. Lightly season patty with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the patty and cook until golden brown on the first side (about 3-4 minutes)
3. Flip patty and move to one side of the skillet
4. Add onions, salt and pepper to cleared side of skilled and cook until softened and golden brown (about 5 minutes).
5. Add peas and cook for 1 minute more, checking to ensure the patty is cooked through.
6. Sprinkle patty with cheese and transfer to a plate. Serve!!!