Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard

Play the game!  Guess if we're having a boy or girl in the comments to this post and you could win a prize!  The game ends on Friday morning when we have our ultrasound.

I went to download the photo of this recipe and discovered that Big had been using my digital camera.  She's really not a bad photographer.  There's this plant in our backyard that she's in love with - she plays with the flowers all the time and it attracts butterflies so she's always watching the butterflies in the yard.  Apparently, this plant and her little sister were her major inspirations. 

Thanks for indulging me in sharing her pictures - it's fun to see a glimpse of how things look through her eyes.  She tells me all the time "Mom, take a picture" of something she sees or likes.  

On to the food.  I love soup and I'm so happy it's cool enough to actually serve to my family!  This is a pretty basic recipe but I liked the combination of the cumin with the sprinkle of dill at the end.  You could double the lentils (put them all in when you would put the barley in and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until tender) if you're GF and you could easily use another dark leafy green (kale or spinach?) if you don't have chard.  And, the perfect thing to serve with soup is bread.  I made my first homemade bread in years but I'll save all that for another post!

Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard (serves 4)
adapted from Gourmet 2/05

1 T olive oil
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped peeled carrots
3/4 c. chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
5 cups (or more) low-sodium vegetable broth
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 cup diced tomatoes in juice
1/3 cup dried lentils
2 packed cups coarsely chopped Swiss Chard
2 T fresh dill

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, carrots, and celery unit the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cumin and stir for about a minute.  Add the vegetable broth and barley.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and lentils.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add chard to soup.  Cover and simmer about 5 minutes, until the chard is tender.  Season with dill, salt, and pepper.  Thin with more broth (or water) if necessary.

Veggie Burgers

I'm a fan of the veggie burger and I often will order them when I'm out to eat but I've never been too happy with the frozen kinds you buy to make at home. They aren't as good as restaurant ones . . . too flat, too dry, not much flavor. When I came across this recipe, I decided to give it a shot.

I really liked the end result - moist, flavorful, good texture, healthy ingredients - but they were time consuming to make because you have to cook barley and lentils and then let the patty mixture refrigerate for an hour or so. Because I often prep dinner earlier in the day, the last part wasn't a big deal but this isn't something you can just pull together at the last minute.

Give them a try . . . all three of us enjoyed them and I'll make them again. The two things I'll experiment with next time I make this recipe are cooking the lentils and barley together in the same pot (fewer dishes to wash) and seeing how these hold up on the grill instead of making them in a frying pan. Sneak preview: More grilling coming soon!

Lentil-Barley Burgers (makes 8 patties)
from Cooking Light March 2010

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dried lentils
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 cup cooked pearl barley
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Combine 1 1/2 cups water and lentils in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain. Place half of lentils in a large bowl. Place remaining lentils in a food processor; process until smooth. Add processed lentils to whole lentils in bowl.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot; sauté 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato paste, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to lentils. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, barley, and next 5 ingredients (through egg); stir well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Divide mixture into 8 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 4 patties.

Homemade Dressings and Marinades

A few years ago, it occurred to me that I didn't need to buy salad dressing, marinades, or prepared sauces. After reading labels and being disgusted by some of the things added to these items (like high fructose corn syrup) and realizing how much I spent on this sort of stuff (and the wastefulness of the packaging that I'd be throwing away), I started making my own. Recently I bought a Greek Seasoning from Penzey's and just add water, vinegar, and olive oil in a glass jar and keep it in the fridge. This post by Elise discusses vinaigrette ratios and a book that I've been wanting to read.Here are two easy dressings you can make on your own:

Dressing #1:
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced.

Combine in a container and shake it up or use a whisk.

Dressing #2:
1/4 c. basil leaves
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Chop up basil leaves and whisk all ingredients together.

The next two recipes can be used in a variety of ways - as a marinade for chicken, fish or veggies; as a dipping sauce for cooked meat, veggies, or chips; or to dress different types of salads.

Basil-Parsley Pesto (from Celebrating with Julienne by Susan Campoy) - makes about 2 cups

1 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 c. lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. lightly packed fresh parsley leaves
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 c. good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c. (about 5 oz) freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

You can make this in a food processor or blender. I had great results with my hand blender packing everything into a large cup and then pulsing until it was mostly smooth. I'd pack everything into your bowl/blender/cup except the olive oil and cheese. Pour some olive oil over the top, adding more as it gets blended together. Add the cheese at the end. You can make it ahead but some of the oil might separate out and it might discolor unless you put plastic wrap right on the surface of the pesto.

Ideas:

* Marinate chicken in this overnight, then bake or grill (sometimes I do chicken skewers)
* Make pasta salad or barley salad and toss it with this (see below for barley)
* Use as salad dressing

I had leftover pesto so I made this salad for our Memorial Day picnic:

Barley salad with vegetables, feta & pesto

1 1/2 c. barley
1 medium cucumber, diced
1 cup chopped tomato
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
Chopped fresh parsley (a couple tablespoons)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

I soaked the barley overnight in 3 cups water, drained, and cooked for 15 minutes in about 5 cups boiling water, and drained it again. Then I tossed the warm barley with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the pesto and refrigerated it. I added the cut up veggies, a little more pesto, and the feta before I served it. If you wanted a main dish, adding some cooked or grilled chicken for protein would be great in this salad.

Cilantro Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper

Try tossing it with these three ingredients for a yummy summer salad:
3 cups fresh corn kernels (approx. 6 small ears)
5 medium tomatoes, diced
2/3 c. finely chopped red onion

Pre-Race Meal

My husband is racing on his bicycle tomorrow and I made this dinner for him. I don't think he enjoyed it as much as I did (and there's no photo but it looked pretty) but it's nutrient rich with whole grains, leafy greens, and lean protein.

I tend to overcook chicken so lately I'm liking it best when we grill. This marinade is a variation on something I cut out of a magazine 6 or 7 years ago called "Curry Grilled Chicken." The curry flavor is subtle - if you like more curry, double up on it.

For the side dish, I was trying to find a way to use up some barley I bought for soup a few months ago. This worked well and I liked eating something different than rice but the texture is chewier and it's denser. I might try Nicole's suggestion of soaking whole grains next time I make this. I would also eat this as a meatless main dish (probably 2 servings with these proportions). In general, for brown rice, cous cous, quinoa and other grains I have found that using some kind of broth in place of the water makes a big difference in the flavor.

Marinated Grilled Chicken ala Rebecca (4 servings)

1/2 c. vinegar (I usually use white wine vinegar)
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T sugar
1 T worcestershire
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
red pepper flakes to taste (I think I used about 2 tsp+ but I like it spicy)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients (except chicken) in a blender and blend for a few seconds. Pour it into a shallow glass container or a large ziplock bag and add the chicken. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours. Discard marinade and grill until the chicken is done.

Pearl Barley with Vegetables (4 side dish servings)

1 tsp. olive oil
3/4 c. chopped onion (about 1 small)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 c. uncooked pearl barley
1 3/4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 zucchini, chopped
1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup of packed fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic clove and saute for 30 seconds. Add the barley and saute for a minute. Add the broth, bring to a boil then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 35 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, parsley, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes more.

Variations: You could saute half of a red bell pepper with the onion in the first step, add more vegetables, add various other fresh or dried herbs, sprinkle cheese on top. I had some feta and I liked it on top of the finished barley.

PS - This was even better cold the next day . . . I bet it would be great if you served it like pasta salad.