Hummus

From The Hummus Blog

Ingredients
[4 extra-large bowls of Hummus]

• 1 cups dried chickpeas (the smallest you can find)
• 1/2 cup tahini
• juice from 1 squeezed lemon
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon + 1/8-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• salt
• olive oil
• parsley

How do I make that into Hummus?
[Brut: 10-20 hours. Net: 30 minutes]

1. Pour the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate.

2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.

3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add the rest baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water.

4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.

5. Add the tahini and the rest of the ingredients and go on with the food processor until you get the desired texture. If the Humus is too thick, add some of the cooking water. It should be thinner than the actual desired texture.

Serve with some good olive oil and chopped parsley.

Barley Salad with Parsley and Walnuts

From: Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients

1. 1 1/4 cups pearled barley (9 ounces)
2. 1 cup walnut halves (4 ounces)
3. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4. 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5. 1 garlic clove, minced
6. 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper
8. 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
9. 4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 1 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the barley over high heat until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the barley and rinse under cold water to cool thoroughly. Drain again, shaking out the excess water.
2. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Coarsely chop the nuts.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Add the barley, parsley and ricotta salata and toss gently. Add the toasted walnuts, toss again and serve.

Make Ahead The salad can be refrigerated overnight.

Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini

From: Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients

1. 1 cup long-grain brown rice
2. 1 cup red quinoa
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 1 small onion, finely diced
5. 1 carrot, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
6. 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
7. 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
8. Salt
9. 1 head of broccoli—stems peeled and sliced into coins, heads cut into small florets
10. One 12-ounce bunch kale, large stems discarded
11. 1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature
12. 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
13. 2 garlic cloves, minced
14. 2 tablespoons warm water
15. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
16. 1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice
17. 1 cup mung bean sprouts

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the brown rice with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is just tender, about 40 minutes. Drain and return the rice to the saucepan; keep covered.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat until the quinoa is tender and all of the water has been absorbed, 20 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitake, cover and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring a few times, until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the broccoli, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until deep green, 5 minutes. Add the kale, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the broccoli and kale are just tender, 4 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in the other vegetables.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic, warm water and crushed red pepper. Season with salt.
6. Transfer the brown rice and quinoa to bowls. Top with the cooked vegetables, diced avocado and bean sprouts. Serve, passing the tahini sauce at the table.

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula

From: http://www.marthastewart.com/

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 pound gemelli or other short pasta
• 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 bunch arugula (8 ounces), torn
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. In a large bowl, toss pasta with beans and goat cheese.
2. Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and mustard and season with salt and pepper. (To store, refrigerate pasta mixture and dressing separately, up to 1 day.) To serve, toss pasta mixture with dressing, arugula, and onion.

Very Green Lentil Soup

From www.eatingwell.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 4 cups water, divided
• 1 cup French green (Le Puy) or brown lentils
• 8 large green chard leaves
• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed
• 12 cups gently packed spinach (about 10 ounces), any tough stems trimmed
• 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground (see Tip)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, minced
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• Crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, rinse lentils and pick out any small stones; combine the lentils with the remaining 4 cups water in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard; chop the greens and slice the ribs (keep in separate piles). Cut potato into 1/2 -inch dice. Chop spinach; set aside.
3. When the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, stir in the chard ribs, potato, scallions, broth and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt; return to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the chard leaves, broccoli, cumin and coriander. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the soup. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the reserved spinach, cilantro, mint, jalapeño and pepper; return to a simmer, cover and cook until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or pepper, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil and crumbled feta cheese.

Chicken and Rice Salad with Pesto Yogurt Dressing

From www.foodandwine.com

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 roasted chicken, bones and skin removed (about 1 pound meat), meat torn into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)

1. Cook rice.
   
2. In a large serving bowl, whisk together the yogurt, pesto, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and the rice and toss to combine.

Brown Rice

From http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/03/how-to-cook-brown-rice/

1. Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.
2. Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.
4. Eat and enjoy. Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do.