Triple Berry Risotto

Triple Berry Risotto

Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries, whole Barley, and Spelt Berries

This is a simple meal, warm and comforting.  This is a variation of the vegetable barley risotto recipe on the back of the bag of whole barley from Bob's Red Mill.

2-3 TB garlic chili oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups combined whole barley, wheat berries, and whole spelt berries
2 cups or more zucchini, cut in about 1 inch cubes
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2/3 cup Sherry cooking wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Heat the broth to almost a boil for adding to grains later.

In a large pot sauté onion and garlic in the oil, about 2 minutes.  Add in the dry grains and sauté for about five minutes stirring often, allowing the grains to brown a little.  Add in the heated broth, sherry, and zucchini and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook for about an hour depending on how you like the texture of your grains.  It may take a little more than an hour.  Remove lid and add in cheese.  Cook an additional 10 minutes with no lid.

This can be made without the cheese using nutritional yeast instead of the Parmesan and Romano cheese.

Artichoke-Chili Bisque and a Little Tree Climbing

Been having some busy days, haven't had time to sit down and blog.  My granddaughter and her mom moved to town, I am so happy about that.  I can see her anytime now and have some good grandma time.  My honey and I spent some time having fun together last weekend, including a visit to the Tree to Tree Adventure Park. This is us 30 or more feet in the air.

I took these swings very slowly, he jumped. Notice, the feet are in the air.

It was a great test of self trust.  I did three courses, my husband did all of them.  Although they make sure you are safe and most people can do this, it is physically demanding.  It's Thursday, we did this Sunday and my arms and thighs are finally not sore.  I am looking forward to doing this again.

What did I make for dinner?

Last weekend we ventured out to Puget Island to a friend's house for dinner.  She's a kitchen witch, not a vegetarian, but a whole foods kitchen witch, a flexitarian. She doesn't use processed foods and when she does prepare animal protein, it's from a local source.  She knows lots about herbs and preparing wild greens.  I'm learning quite a bit from her.  I love to give her vegetables from my garden and then see what she creates with them. We made dinner together Saturday afternoon.  She marinated some fresh tuna fillets, wrapped in bacon, they looked like little fillet Mignon. She seared them gently in avocado oil with a little fresh thyme and sage. She also made a barley salad with black beans and fresh vegetables: corn, zucchini, chilis, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs.  I contributed vegetables for the salad, a dressing made from oranges and tahini, and a fresh artichoke-chili bisque.

Fresh garden salad with Orange Tahini dressing, Vegetable Barley salad, Artichoke-Chili Bisque, and Tuna Fillet

Artichoke-Chile Bisque (Vegan)

10-12 small artichokes, steamed and the outer tough leaves removed
6 roasted Anaheim chilis, skin and seeds removed
1 cup roasted cashews (I roasted raw cashews gently in a saute pan)
3-4 cloves fresh garlic
seas salt, dill, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and shoyu to taste
3-4  cups filtered water (Start out with 3 cups water then add more depending on the consistency you like, I like it kind of thick.

Blended together until smooth.  This can be eaten warm or cold. 

We also tried sauteing squash flowers for the first time.  I picked a variety of squash flowers Saturday morning, zucchini, summer squash, delicata, and pumpkin.  She sauteed them in the oil from the tuna fillets.  They were pretty fun to prepare, they get puffy again every time you turn them.  I missed getting a picture of them.  They were so good, they didn't last too long.  I have heard you can stuff them, I will try some again soon.

Vegetable Wheat Berry Risotto

I love Sequim in July - Lavender touches all my senses

While in Sequim this weekend I picked up some Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries from their local farmer's market.  I bought a couple different varieties from this vendor, Nash's Organic Produce.  I made a nice wheat berry salad while I was up there with fresh produce from my friend's garden and some of my own.  Yesterday I made some wheat berry risotto. This was very easy!  Anyone can make this effortless dish.  It does require soaking the berries overnight, so planning ahead is a good idea.  After the berries have soaked, the prep work is about 15 minutes. This is a high protein, vegan meal. The wheat berries tested out at 14% protein.  It can be served as an entree or a side dish.

Vegetable Wheat Berry Risotto

Vegetable Wheat Berry Risotto

About 2 TBL olive oil, I used garlic chili oil I made a couple weeks ago
1 medium to large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups wheat berries (pearl barley would substitute just fine.)
1 medium zucchini, diced in half inch cubes
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (can be combined with water wheat berries
soaked in to make up the four cups of liquid)
2 TBL golden balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup tart juice, (cranberry, pomegranate, or apple cider would work)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiana cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste, I used cayenne pepper for a little extra zip.

Soak wheat berries overnight or for at least three hours.  Rinse and reserve the liquid for stock.

Heat up the broth to almost a boil for adding to wheat berries a little later.

Saut­è onion and garlic in oil about 2-4 minutes.

Add the wheat berries and sautè for about five minutes allowing the wheat berries to brown a bit. When I did this my kitchen had a toasty nutty smell, it was wonderful.

Add the broth, juice, vinegar, and zucchini and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover the pot.  Simmer for at least an hour.  I like my wheat berries al dentè so that there is some texture.  If you like them a little softer, you may have to cook a bit longer.  I simmer until almost all the liquid is absorbed leaving a nice gravy consistency.

Remove lid and add the cheese and cook a little bit longer, about ten minutes.

Barley with Tomato, Capers and Kalamata Olives

This is another of the test recipes for The Flexitarian Cookbook.  It is supposed to be made with Farro which is a whole grain similar to wheat berries or barley.  I couldn't find it in town and when I looked it up online it was $11 a pound. Yikes! I substituted pearl barley without a problem.  I really like this grain dish, it's very flavorful with unexpected flavors, as my husband called it.  It's a warm or cold whole grain dish with a zesty flavor and great texture.  It's very easy to make, the prep time for everything except the barley is about 20 minutes.

It's a very simple meal with roasted red peppers, garlic, fresh parsley, fresh tomatoes, capers, and kalamata olives.  I served it on a bed of fresh picked beet greens.  This salad will make future appearances at my house.