Vegetarian Dishes | From Patty's Pantry

Roasted Vegetables and Barley Salad

Jan 162013

Roasted Vegetables and Barley Salad

Barley is something I recently, have started cooking a lot with. It is a healthy alternative to add a carb to your meal. Since it was a trainer coming over for dinner, who pre-holidays put me on a no potato carb free diet, I couldn’t make potatoes to go with the roasted fish as I would have liked. But sometimes having limitations actually provides for more creativity! This salad is loaded with different flavors and lots of color. So as my Nanna would say “If it is colorful then it is healthy.” I made it one day in advance and added the cheese before serving.

Roasted Veggies

1 small Eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 Medium sized Carrots cut in half lengthwise and then in 1/2 inch pieces

1 Zucchini quartered lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 Cup of Broccoli Florets

1/4 Cup of Olive, Salt and Pepper

Barley

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Cup of Chopped Scallions

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Ground Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Coriander

1/4 Teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper

1 1/4 Cup of Barley

1 3/4 Cup of Chicken Broth

Dressing

3 Garlic cloves chopped finely

2 1/2 Tablespoons of fresh Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon of Sugar

Fresh Ingredients

1 Cup of mini plum tomatoes, quartered

1/2 Cup of thinly sliced Red Onion

1/2 Cup of Flat leaf Parsley Chopped

1/4 Cup of Fresh Mint Chopped

3/4 Cup of 1/2 inch cubes of Fresh Mozzarella

Preheat the over 425 degrees.

Place the Eggplant, Zucchini, Broccoli and Carrots on a baking sheets, toss with Olive Oil then Salt and Pepper. Roast of 10 minutes and remove and toss veggies followed by another 10 minutes of roasting. Let cool and place in large salad bowl/ desired serving dish.

In a Sauce pan heat olive oil with scallions and spices- Cayenne, Coriander, and Cumin. Saute for 3-4 minutes and add Barley. Cook for 2 minutes mixing well and add the chicken broth. Cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and remove from heat. Add Barley to the serving dish with the roasted Veggies.

Once cooled add the fresh ingredients.

In a small bowl mix together all of the dressing ingredients and mix together till combined. Toss over the salad.

Serve at room temperature.

Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro/Coriander

London, Soups 1 Comment »

Jan 142013

This past weekend we were having a couple over for dinner, and the meal had to be heavy on the vegetable and fruit side, as the guest is a Personal Trainer. The first course was Pumpkin Soup and the rest of the dinner will be coming later this week. This Pumpkin Soup, I was inspired to make after a weekend in Paris. It most definitely will become apart of my soup repertoire, such a perfect mixture of different flavors and crunch.

Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro

1 Can of Pumpkin Puree

1 Yellow Onion Medium in Size Chopped

2 Small Shallots Chopped

4 Cloves of Garlic Chopped

2 Celery Stalks Chopped

3 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

2 Sprigs of fresh Thyme

3/4 Cup of White Wine

1/2 Cup of Milk

1/2 Cup of Cream

2 1/2 Cups of Chicken Stalk

1/3 Cup of Chopped Cilantro

Salt and Pepper to taste

Zest from 1 Orange

Optional Toasted Hazelnuts (chopped not too finely), Croutons or Roasted Corn

In a medium sized saucepan heat the oil and melt the butter, add the onions, celery, shallots, garlic and thyme. Saute for for 4-5 minutes, then add the white wine followed by the pumpkin puree and mix together. Add the remaining liquids and cook for 15- 20 minutes on low heat. Add the Cilantro and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a blender. (Now I did not put through a strainer after blending, I think it would have been a little nicer had I. Honestly, I just didn’t feel like adding that step or cleaning the extra utensils.) Return the soup to the pan. When ready to serve place a little orange zest on the bottom of each bowl before serving. Optional to add a few chopped hazelnuts. Top the soup with a sprig of cilantro and either roasted corn nuts or buttered croutons (I had corn-nuts and thought it would give it a crunch that I wanted and was happy with the result.)