Category Archives: Recipes

Recipes

Recipe Box: Wheatberry Salad

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Wheatberries, wheat kernels minus hull, are a great little secret. They’re crunchy, a pretty tan color, and have a rich, almost nutty taste. Unfortunately, they are also currently out of stock in the two grocery stores that I checked, so I made a couple changes to tonight’s dinner plan. In lieu of wheatberries, I used farro, an ancient grain known for its nutty flavor. Farro is lighter in color than wheatberries so the salad didn’t look as pretty, but it tasted quite good. Wheatberries also have a firmer texture than farro. I also added Swiss chard to my salad because I had it in the fridge and used Quorn instead of chicken. As my mum wrote in the cookbook she made for me when I was in college, “Chicken is delicious in this salad, but not imperative . . . If you don’t use chicken, you may omit the thyme.” I included the thyme to flavor the Quorn.

Some ingredients for wheatberry salad - looks sort of like Thanksgiving in a bowl!Some ingredients for my wheatberry salad – looks sort of like Thanksgiving in a bowl!

Now that you know all about tonight’s adaptation to wheatberry salad, let’s move onto the actual recipe, shall we?

You’ll need . . .
2 c. wheatberries
4 qts. water
1 c. diced celery
1 lb. roughly chopped chicken, cooked
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced (Granny Smith is my favorite)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (I prefer walnuts)
3 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard (I’m really into whole grain Dijon right now)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper

The remaining ingredientsThe remaining ingredients

-Place wheatberries in a large pot; add water.
-Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender (about 1 hour).
-Drain and cool
-Place wheatberries in a large bowl; stir in remaining ingredients.
-Serve cold or at room temperature.

This salad is very forgiving - it doesn't mind when I do things like add Swiss chard, omit the chicken, or use fake chicken-like protein instead of chickenThis salad is very forgiving – it doesn’t mind when I do things like add Swiss chard, omit the chicken, or use fake chicken-like protein instead of chicken

One final note: Making the salad as written above will serve about 10 people. No joke. It definitely acts as a meal and you’ll be eating it for a long time. Reader, you are now warned.

Bon appétit!

Recipes

Recipe Box: Tuna and White Bean Salad

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It has been brutally hot and humid here for the last few days, so eating anything even moderately warm has been out of the question. I adore summer salads and that’s been my answer to the dinner question for the past several days. Today I made a tuna and white bean salad. It’s very quick, very easy, and more than adaptable. Once I added broccoli and basil because I had some in the fridge. I’ll give you general measurements that I use, but please don’t worry about following them. They’re just a guideline.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

You’ll need . . .
4oz green beans
1 can tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, diced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. parsley leaves
2 green onions
Juice of two lemons
Kosher salt
Black pepper

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Add next 7 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Enjoy and stay cool!

 

Recipes

Recipe Box: Tzatziki

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Tzatziki is a dish of Middle Eastern origin that is often served as a side dish with pita, as a topping to other Middle Eastern dishes, like falafel and shawarma, or as part of a mezze selection. I made tzatziki tonight to accompany vegan shawarma (made with seitan), homemade dill pickles, and a chickpea-based Israeli-style salad. If all of that means nothing to you, try this: I cooked with a bunch of fresh vegetables and Middle Eastern spices, which is probably my favorite way to cook.

As an educator, I’m a process-oriented person, so my photos for today depict the process of making tzatziki rather than the finished product. Tzatziki is made with yogurt and dill (in my version) among other things, so it looks prettier unfinished. For the finished product, picture white yogurt with green flecks. (….Yum….)

On the way to becoming tzatziki
On the way to becoming tzatziki

What are all those ingredients, you ask? Good question.

You’ll need . . .
6oz plain Greek yogurt
1 cucumber, grated and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of one lemon
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp freshly chopped dill
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Whisk together first 6 ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill and serve.

Kitchen gadgets that I used while putting this together
Kitchen gadgets that I used while putting this together

Enjoy!