Barley And Spring Vegetable Medley

Barley And Spring Vegetable Medley

Ingredients: 

3 cups baby bok-choy, chopped
1 12-ounce package of ready baked fava bean tofu or ready
    baked soy-based tofu
1 cup dried barley, rinsed
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 cup snap peas
½ cup green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sesame-ginger dressing:  

½ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Pinch of salt, to taste
Directions:
Cook barley until tender, following package instructions, then let
cool. Cut tofu into ½-inch cubes and set aside. Blanch bok choy,
broccoli, carrots, and snap peas until just tender, then plunge them
into ice water bath to retain their vibrant color.

In large bowl, combine barley, vegetables, and green onions.
Toss barley and vegetables with sesame-ginger dressing until well
coated. Top salad with tofu and drizzle on more dressing. Sprinkle
toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro over the medley before
serving.
Sesame-ginger dressing:
Prepare sesame-ginger dressing by vigorously whisking together
grapeseed oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, 

maple syrup, and pinch of salt.
Notes: Ice Bathing Vegetables Blanching and ice bathing
vegetables is a technique used to retain their vibrant colors, crisp
texture, and nutritional content. It’s particularly useful when
preparing vegetables to be frozen or to maintain their freshness in
salads.
Directions: 

Wash and trim the vegetables as needed. Cut them into uniform sizes for for even cooking. Bringa pot of water to a rolling boil,using enough water to fully submerge the vegetables.
Carefully place vegetables into the boiling water. Allow them to cook for a short period, typically 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the type of vegetable. Blanching helps preserve color and kill enzymes that can cause loss of flavor and texture.
While the vegetables are being blanched, prepare a large
bowl filled with a generous amount of ice cubes in cold water.
Using a slotted spoon or tongs, quickly transfer the blanched
vegetables from the boiling water to the ice bath. This rapid cooling
process, known as ice bathing, instantly halts the cooking. After the
vegetables have cooled in the ice bath for a few minutes, drain them
and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.

Thai-Style Crab Mushroom Pumpkin Curry

Thai-Style Crab Mushroom And Pumpkin Curry

Adding fresh Thai herbs to commercial curry paste and canned coconut milk really lifts this dish to another level, while the inclusion of sweet pumpkin and earthy mushrooms makes this dish rich and satisfying enough for the darkest winter evening.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut or coconut oil
2–3 tablespoons red curry paste (about half a small jar)
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 stalk lemongrass (cut into 3 x 2 inch pieces and bruised with the flat of a knife)
2 cups pumpkin or winter squash, cut into 1-inch dice (kabocha squash works very well and does not need to be peeled, just cut out any blemishes)
10 Thai basil leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or palm sugar if you can get it)
3 lime leaves, shredded
2–4 heads bok choy or 2–4 cups spinach
6 ounces fresh white crab meat (or canned crab, cooked shrimp, or cooked salmon)
cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish
lime wedges to serve

Directions:
Heat the oil and red curry paste in a large pot or wok over a medium-high heat, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 3 tablespoons coconut milk and cook for 30 seconds. 

Add the mushrooms and stir until cooked through, about 5 minutes. 

Add the water, fish sauce and lemongrass, and stir in the diced squash or pumpkin and simmer 8–10 minutes over a medium heat, or until the pumpkin is cooked through and tender to the fork.

Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and return to a simmer. 

Stir in the basil, sugar, lime leaves, and green vegetables, and cook for another minute or two until the greens have wilted. 

Stir in the crab and simmer for another 30 seconds to warm through.

Remove the lemongrass pieces and serve the curry sprinkled with cilantro and accompanied by lime wedges. This curry is perfect ladled over fragrant jasmine rice.    Serves: 4–6 | Prep time: 20 minutes

Bok Choy And Mushrooom Stir-Fry

Bok Choy And Mushroom Stir-Fry

Think of mild-flavored, juicy bok choy as an invitation to experiment in the kitchen. It's especially good with earthy mushrooms. Thoroughly drying the bok choy before cooking ensures that you don't end up with a watery sauce.
Ingredients
1 pound baby bok choy
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
5 ounces small fresh mushrooms, such as shiitake, button, beech, or enoki (cut into clumps), rinsed, tough parts of stems trimmed
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine* or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
⅛ teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper

Directions:
Trim bases of bok choy and separate outer leaves from stalks, leaving the smallest inner leaves attached. Rinse and thoroughly dry bok choy in a salad spinner.

Heat a wok or large frying pan (not nonstick) over medium-high heat until hot when you wave your hand over the bottom. Add vegetable oil, garlic, and ginger and stir once; then immediately add mushrooms and stir-fry until they just begin to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add rice wine and cook 30 seconds. Add bok choy leaves and stalks and cook, tossing with tongs, until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. The wok may seem crowded, but the leaves wilt quite a bit.
Add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper; cook, tossing often, until bok choy is tender-crisp, another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.