Oh my.
Quick! Go buy some farro! You have to make this meal immediately.
It’s full of springy goodness. Green peas and split peas, roasted scallions, and spring greens. Plus goat cheese! You can never go wrong with goat cheese.
Category Archives: quinoa & alternative grains
Citrusy Farro with Peas and Spring Onions
Filed under cheesy, fruity, mains, quinoa & alternative grains, salads, vegetarian, wholesome
Tabasco and Asparagus Quinoa
Recently, we have started making family dinners a higher priority. Honestly, I didn’t realize how much eating a family dinner every night would tax my cooking repertoire!
So I started dividing meals into categories, to make it easier for me to lay out a variety of different meals over the course of each week. We have tortilla meals (loosely Mexican-themed), pasta meals (loosely Italian), soups, salads, sandwiches, fish, and of course, grain salads. (I am now realizing how many of my meals revolve in some way around carbs…yikes…at least I buy/make whole grains most of the time!)
My hubby is not such a huge fan of grain salads. Honestly, I am much more likely to make grain salads for lunch for myself than for dinners with him. But when I came across this recipe from Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks, I was pretty sure it would be a hit with Dave.
And what’s not to love? Butter and spicy Tabasco for him, asparagus and quinoa for me! And crème fraîche! Oh me, oh my! If you have never tried crème fraîche, this is definitely the time to take the plunge.
I’m not sure I would call this a healthy meal, exactly, but it sure was delicious! So, quick! while asparagus is in season, run out and make this meal! Promote it to dinner! You will definitely love it.
Filed under buttery, creamy, eggs, hot & spicy, mains, quinoa & alternative grains, vegetarian
Barley Risotto with Asparagus
At last, at last! Asparagus is in season!
Do you know how wonderful spring is to me? Don’t get me wrong…I have a somewhat masochistic enjoyment of the gloomy gray end of winter. But I am so excited to welcome back the most wonderful of all vegetables: asparagus.
(Side note: Did you know that Germans are so pleased by the beginning of spring that they celebrate with festivals devoted entirely to asparagus? Also, how excited am I that the farm we joined for our CSA this year is doing it up asparagus-style for Mother’s Day!?)
So my friend Sarah of Well Dined and I conspired to make you a great lunch full of asparagus and creamy, chewy barley. It takes about an hour to put together, but it’s super healthy and delicious. Don’t be afraid of barley! It’s a whole grain full of fiber and antioxidants, and because it’s so low on the glycemic index, it can actually help lower blood sugar, yay!
Filed under fresh herbs, mains, quinoa & alternative grains, vegetarian, wholesome
Sweet and Salty Arugula Salad
Do you ever go to a restaurant and order exactly the right thing? It sounds like a small detail (duh, who intentionally orders badly?), but if you’ve ever agonized over a decision about what to order and come away unhappy with your choice, then you are probably also familiar with the sheer bliss of ordering the best dish on the menu, the one thing that can truly satisfy you, for that particular meal.
A few weeks ago I went to brunch at a pub in DC, the Drafting Table. I fretted over what I should order, and ultimately decided to ignore the waitress, who recommended a different dish, and go for this salad. And literally every bite made my taste buds sing! This salad was more delicious than I could have imagined, and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted.
True, it’s a bit decadent for a salad. And a bit involved to make. But I swear it will be worth the effort! A perfect blending of sweet, salty, fresh, tangy, creamy, crunchy, chewy…I am overflowing with adjectives, just like this salad is overflowing with flavor and amazingness.
Filed under cheesy, eggs, fall squash, mains, nuts, quinoa & alternative grains, salads, vegetarian
Quinoa with Butternut and Broccolini
It’s the middle of January! I am already flagging on my New Year’s resolutions to eat healthy. Is that just me?
It’s time for a delicious pick-me-up.
And what is more delicious than a glut of hearty, colorful veggies, stirred into some slightly chewy, nutty quinoa? My good friend Sarah over at Well Dined agreed with me, so this week we tucked in and made ourselves this amazing lunch! You should, too.
Filed under allergy-friendly, fall squash, fresh herbs, mains, nuts, quinoa & alternative grains, vegetarian, wholesome
