Tag Archives: dried cherries

Something Quick

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So I made this yummy Salmon Chowder last night for our small group gathering, but I don’t have the recipe as it was a do it as I go sort of thing.  The greatest part to me was the pureed celery root, which if you’ve never tried it you truly must and this is the season to do it.  Quick, go do it before time runs out.

Aside from the salmon chowder, I have to say that I love my small group and how it’s made up.  We are in this transition period.  You know the transition of figuring out how to meet together, have adult conversations, while seven little monkeys all under the age of 3 are running, crying, & shouting around the house.  Nonetheless, we’re figuring out our rhythms and it just might be working.

We meet twice a month as a large group where we share dinner.  I make the main dish and everyone brings something else to share.  It’s this beautiful meld of hospitality at it’s finest.  We see each other as we are, much like the dishes we bring.  The food doesn’t have to compliment one another, be exquisite, or honestly, it doesn’t even have to taste the best.  What it is is that we are simply taking time to breathe, love, & enjoy one another.

Our meal last night was salmon chowder (which I took inventory of what I had and threw it in the pot), leftover salad from the previous night and some corn thrown in on top, freshly picked blueberries with sliced strawberries, and sliced watermelon from the day before.  Then, there’s our group, a campus pastor, stay-at-home moms, linguist, financial advisor, nutritionist & physical trainer, baker & cook, horse instructor, engineering, & economist.

There is a realness and understanding that we don’t have it together, that we might come grumpy and distraught, that marriage isn’t easy when you have toddlers and babies, and we might even say some stupid, “why did I just say that?” sort of things.  It’s not perfect, it’s not polished, and sometimes it’s not always fun, but I would say that there is a mutual appreciation, respect, honesty & love, which permeates through our gatherings.

Here’s something quick you can pull out with company, your family, or give to someone who needs it.  It’s a combination of sweet, tangy & crunchy.

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Cabbage-Apple Salad (printable recipe)

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

half of green cabbage, sliced thinly

2 apples, sliced thinly

1 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of kosher salt

1/8 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Prepare:

Put butter in a skillet over medium-high heat till melted.  Add pecans and stir to coat them.  Cook while stirring for about one minute.  Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne & salt; stir till nuts are coated, about 1 minute.  Transfer nuts to foil or parchment paper to cool.

Combine olive oil, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, & dijon mustard.  Stir to combine & set aside.

Put your sliced cabbage & apples in a bowl.  Add your nuts and pour dressing on top.  Combine and serve.

Barley-Kale Salad

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I made this very yummy salad from this wonderful blog.  Now if you were to tell me that I would like kale years ago I would think you were crazy.  I remember tasting it many moons ago thinking, “This is rabbit food, except worst!”  Well, I have changed my mind since and I plead with you to do the same if you are one who thinks eating rabbit food sounds pretty crummy.

I was originally going to serve this along side roasted chicken, but thought to myself, “there’s carbs and protein in it–why do I need to defrost chicken?  Plus, it’s a wonderful sunny day and eating this salad just makes me feel healthy (we won’t talk about the two chocolate ganache cupcakes I ate though–will we).”

Plus, I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate the grain world with the vegetable world outside of a pasta salad.  So if you’re simply wanting to make dinner, or make a side dish for guests coming over, or going to a celebration–this is a great summer salad (or not summer) to make.

**Plus the great thing about kale is it doesn’t wilt if you put dressing on it and store it in the fridge to eat the next day.

Birthday Barley Salad Recipe from www.inpraiseofleftovers.com

Salad Ingredients:
2 cups barley
1 head curly kale, washed, ribbed, and finely chopped
1 c. roasted pecans
1/2 c. dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 c. crumbled Danish blue cheese (or other firm blue cheese)
zest from one lemon

Dressing:
1 minced garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste (don’t be shy with your salt!)
1/2 ts. smoked paprika
4 Tb. apple cider vinegar
2 Tb. honey
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, cut into thin rings

For dressing: Mix the first five ingredients in a large measuring cup. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste. Drop in onions and let them marinate for at least 20 minutes.

For salad: Cook barley in lots of boiling water for about 45 minutes. There needs to be plenty of water so it won’t stick together–you want the grains to be separate. After it’s done (grains will be soft, but still a little chewy), drain it and run cold water over it. You can do this one day ahead if you want.

Toss barley with kale and most of the pecans, blue cheese, dried cherries, and dressing. I use my hands to do this. Scatter some of the remaining ingredients, the lemon zest, and a few marinated onions from the dressing over the top. I always like my audience to know exactly what’s in the salad just by looking at it. Grind a bit more pepper if you like.

Barley-Kale Salad