Veggie Barley Bean Soup and Psychology talk

Needless to say, it's definitely quite elementary to instantiate a thought, that not many of us can create a recipe. Moreover, I know many people, who never liked to try recipes from cooking books. I understand them and never push doubt ones to start to improve their cooking skills with unfamiliar recipes. My sensitivity comes from knowledge, which might be helpful for many of us.

Being from very memorable Jewish family in our city, my psychology professor Boris Blyuminshteyn, who now lives in Israel, decided to demonstrate to us, students, how idea of feedback works in psychology. Knowing there are only few Jewish students in auditorium, he asked the question: "What do you feel or think when you want to make a borscht?" Most of students started to smile showing all signs of very recognizable, pleasant and even desired situation. Then he asked quietly a second question: "Do you want to make Sweet & Sour Beef Stew with Prunes (esik fleisch)?" It sounded like a puzzle, which can disorient most of people, who never heard or tried this only for Jews recognizable delicacy. He took off his glasses and said with very satisfied look: "Most of you don't know what it is. Your brain cannot create a feedback. You show all signs of unpredictability, which builds low expectations and even anxiety." And he is right. Even decision to make something new creates distress for many of us and only need with emotional commitment and mental acquisitiveness with internal discipline can charge us with energy and power to go through a quite provocative process such cooking, which in many cases starts with interesting recipe.

About a month ago I made Sunday Soup with Veggies, Chicken and Barley. I don't want to spend a lot of time describing how it's good and satisfying, especially in a winter time, but I would like to tell you, that this recipe gave me an idea how to create a similar, but another bowl of goodness. Needless to say, I knew, it will work. My previous experience gave me enough wisdom to proof myself, I have to try. This recipe is quite lighter, with unique flavor of fennel and satisfy easily any vegetarian.

Many people, especially nowadays, generally don't see a monetary worth in reading, especially books, and I would like to remind all of you, that reading is not about money, it's about strong and healthy feedback, which always brings only excellent payoffs in a life. Our life has beginning and the end, and only each of us has a dominated authority to create the feedback. Remember, you reap what you sow.

P.S. For sure, I'm one of few thankful students of my psychology professor, who remember all my life how he taught us to create a healthy feedback and, most important, go to dates wisely. I promise to tell you the story later.

Veggie Barley Bean Soup 

Makes about 10 cups (2.5 l)

2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into chunks
Half of a large fennel bulb
2 medium garlic gloves
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium-to-large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cups cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1/3 cup quick barley
3/4 cup canned white beans, rinsed under cold water and drained
1 & 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
Sour cream for serving

Combine onion, garlic and fennel in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until all of the vegetables are chopped into tiny pieces, but don't let them get mushy. Using a spatula take out the mixture and place in a medium bowl. Set aside. Don't clean up the bowl and add carrot, sweet and regular potato in the same bowl. Pulse a few times until all of the vegetables are chopped into tiny pieces, but don't let them get mushy. Take out the mixture and place in another medium bowl. Set aside as well.

Pour the vegetable stock and water in a large pot and bring to boil. Add potato-carrot mixture, lower the heat to medium and start to simmer.

In a medium frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion-fennel mixture and saute for 7 minutes, stirring constantly, with a wooden spoon. Lightly sprinkle with salt, ground black pepper and add a soy sauce. Continue saute for 3-4 minutes longer. Add mixture to a large pot with simmering veggie mixture. Pour barley and simmer the mixture for 15-20 minutes under the lid, until vegetables are soft and barley is fully cooked. Stir occasionally.

Add drained and rinsed beans, dill and parsley, lemon juice and chili-garlic sauce to a pot. Finally, check for salt and pepper. Add, if you need. I added 2 teaspoons of salt. Simmer for 3-4 minutes longer. Serve at once with sour cream. In most cases I serve these soups in a very next day giving a chance to flavors to be developed.

Roasted Carrot and Farro Salad with Mustard Maple Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6
5 cups water
1 cup farro
1 large fennel bulb, sliced across into ½ inch pieces
1 pound carrots (rainbow or orange), shaved, sliced in half lengthwise, and then sliced into 4 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for roasting vegetables
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Maille Dijon Originale (I used regular Dijon Mustard)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped almonds

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the farro, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until farro is soft and chewy. Drain excess water and set aside in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 450°F. On a large baking sheet, toss the fennel with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and plenty of salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Remove baking sheet with fennel from the oven, and add the carrots. Toss with the fennel and olive oil, adding a little more oil if needed. Season with more salt and pepper. Return sheet pan to oven and roast for an additional 22-25 minutes or until vegetables are caramelized and tender, tossing halfway through.

While vegetables are roasting, make the vinaigrette. In a mason jar with lid or in a small bowl, shake/whisk together the ¼ cup olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Maille Dijon Originale, and salt and pepper until combined.

In the large bowl with the farro, add half of the dressing, the roasted vegetables, fresh parsley, pomegranate seeds, and almonds. Toss to combine, adding more vinaigrette as necessary. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve!

Recipe comes from Madeline Marie's blog

Pistachio Hamantaschen with lekvar plum butter

Makes about 4 - 4 1/2 dozen 2-inch (2 bites) cookies

Dough:
1/2 cup raw pistachios
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Prune filling:
2 cups pitted prunes
1 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar

Egg wash:
1 egg, beaten with folk

1/2 cup nuts of your preference, finely chopped + 1 tablespoon brown sugar for sprinkling

For filling, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan except for the brown sugar. Stir and bring to a boil for one minute. Reduce heat to medium low so the mixture simmers slowly and constantly.
Cover the pot. Let the mixture simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Remove the lid from the pan. Let the prunes continue to simmer for 3-5 more minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated/absorbed. Keep a close eye on the pan to make sure the prunes don't burn. When there are about 3 tbsp of liquid left in the pan, remove from heat.

Stir the brown sugar into the prune mixture till brown sugar melts and dissolves. Mash the prune mixture with a potato masher till a smooth puree forms. Run a fork through the mixture to break up any pieces the potato masher missed. You can also use an immersion blender for a smoother puree, if you want to.

Let cool to room temperature before using. Store in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator. Refrigerating the filling to chill completely will make it easier to work with when filling hamantaschen. (Recipe from Tori Avey cooking site) Personally, I made the filling one day before dough and kept chilled for better results.

For dough, Pulse pistachios in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add flour, salt, and sugar and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse just until a coarse meal forms. With motor running, gradually stream in 1/2 cup ice water and process until dough comes together. Transfer dough to a work surface; form into a ball, divide into 3 equal parts, then flatten them into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes. (I chilled in refrigerator for 1 hour) (Recipe from Epicurious.com)

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove one disk from the refrigerator. On lightly floured pastry mat roll out dough into rectangle 1/4  inch thickness. Use 3-in round cookie cutter or glass to cut out as many circles as possible and place 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each dough circle. Fold like hamantaschen. Pinch the seams firmly to seal.  Gather the dough scrapes, re-roll, cut out additional circles. Repeat the process with remaining dough and filling.

Brush the hamantaschen with the egg wash and sprinkle  with nut mixture.

Bake in preheated oven until golden and browned for 12 minutes on lower shelf and 12 minutes on uppper shelf. Remove from the oven and cool for 5-7 minutes on a baking sheet and then transfer on a nice plate. Store in airtight container up to 3 days.

Asian Kale Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

If you're tired to serve just salads for potluck, try this one. The dressing is a star of the recipe.

For the Salad

4 cups chopped curly kale, thick stems removed (be sure it's dry)
3 cups prepared shredded red cabbage
2 cups prepared shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the Dressing

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Pomegranate seeds for sprinkling. I added this option and really like, because it brings unbelievable  flavor to the salad

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Bake the almonds until lightly golden and fragrant, 5-10 minutes. (Keep a close eye on them; nuts burn quickly.) Let cool.

Combine all of the ingredients for the salad in a large mixing bowl.

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor or blender; process until smooth and creamy.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Recipe comes from Once upn a chef by Jennifer Segal

Blueberry & Almond Olive Oil Muffins with Infused Lemon Milk

Makes 12 medium size muffins

¾ cup plus 2 tbsp (175 g) sugar
1 cup (230 ml) milk
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp (100 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
3/4 cups blueberries, rinsed, drained and dried on paper-towels
flaked almonds, for sprinkling
Powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly oil and flour a standard 12-cup non-stick muffin tin.

Place the sugar, milk, lemon zest and scraped vanilla bean seeds with the pod in a medium saucepan over low heat and bring just barely to a simmer while stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse and cool down.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk through ground almonds. Add the olive oil, beaten eggs and cooled milk mixture and whisk gently to form a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Mix a couple dashes of all-purpose flour with berries and arrange 4-5 blueberries on top of each muffin any way you like. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and leaving to cool completely.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Idea for recipe comes from Sweets by Christina Marsigliese

Farro Salad with Beets and their tops

Yield: 6

3 medium beets and their tops (or substitute 1 bunch lacinato kale for the beet greens)
2 cups cooked farro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot (or 1/4 of a red onion), diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup basil, cut into ribbons
¼-½  cup toasted nuts – hazelnuts ( crushed), pine nuts, walnuts.
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pecorino, grated or shaved ( optional, or use goat cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
sunflower sprouts (optional)

Slice the beet stems and greens off of the beets ( saving), then cut the beets in half and steam or roast the beets.  Once tender, peel and dice the beets into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium bowl.

Add the cooked farro to the bowl.

Slice the beet greens and stems finely, then sauté in a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until wilted, about 3–4 minutes. Add this to the bowl of beets and farro, along with the basil, toasted nuts, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Toss well. Add the pecorino, then season with salt and pepper. I used smoked Gouda, which works very well.

Top with optional sunflower sprouts.

Salad will keep 3–4 days in the fridge ( without the sprouts) P.S. Personally, I would not recommend to keep this salad in a fridge.

Салат с красной свеклой и крупой Farro

На 6 порций

3 средних свеклы с ботвой (можно использовать kale)
2 чашки сваренной крупы Farro
1 столовая ложка оливкового масла
1 лук-шалот (или 1/4 красного лука), нарезанного кубиками
2 зубчика чеснока, мелко нарезанных
1/4 стакана базилика, нарезанного на тонкие ленты
½ чашки жареных орехов - фундук (измельченный), кедровые орехи, грецкие орехи.
3 столовые ложки оливкового масла
1 1/2 столовой ложки бальзамического уксуса
1/4 чашки твердого сыра, натертого на крупной терке или наструганного пилером (по желанию, используйте козий сыр)

Отрезать ботву от корнеплодов свеклы, нарезать ее на средние куски. Завернуть красную свеклу в фольгу и запечь в духовке до полной готовности или сварить. Очистить, нарезать кубиками и выложить в большую миску.

Добавить фарро в ту же посуду.

Нарезанную ботву свеклы обжарить на сковороде с 1 столовой ложкой оливкового масла, луком и чесноком. Тушить на среднем огне, пока ботва не станет немного мягкой, около 3-4 минут. Добавить содержимое сковороды в миску со свеклой и фарро. Добавить базиликом, жареные орехи, оливковое масло и бальзамический уксус. Все хорошо перемешать. Добавить сыр, затем приправить солью и перцем. Салат можно держать в  холодильние 3-4 дня, но я не рекомендую это делать. По желанию можно украсить ростками подсолнечника.

Recipe comes from Feasting at Home

Seeded Crackers

Absolutely puffy, delicate, crunchy and even crispy. You will enjoy with any drinks and even salads.

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/4 cup flax seeds (I used flax seed meal)
2 tbsp black chia seeds (substituted onto 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp salt flakes plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup  white spelt flour
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 Ф (180 C).

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Place half the mixture between two sheets of baking paper that you have cut to the same size as your baking tray. Roll the dough out to a large thin square, remove the top layer of paper and place the paper with the dough on to the baking tray. Sprinkle with some extra salt. Lightly cut the dough into favorite shape cookies. Repeat with the other half of the dough and then bake for  15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool on wire. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Крекеры с семeчками

На 6-8 человек

1/2 чашки семян подсолнечника
1/4 чашки семян льняного семени (я использовал льняную муку)
2 столовые ложки черного чиа (Я заменила на 3 столовые ложки белой муки)
1/4 чашки семян кунжута
1 чайная ложка морской соли плюс еще немного для разбрызгивания
1 чашка муки  "spelt"
1/2 чашки воды
1/3 чашки оливкового масла
Разогреть духовку до 180 с.

Выложить все ингредиенты в миску и замшать тесто. Положить половину теста между двумя листами пергаментной бумаги для выпечки и раскатать тесто до того же размера, что и противень. Удалить верхний слой бумаги и выложить тесто на противень. Немного посыпать солью. Нарезать тесто на печенье любимой формы. Повторите с другой половиной теста и выпекать 15-20 минут до золотистого цвета.

Если хотите круглые крекеры, то сначала нарежьте формочкой круги и выложите их на деко, покрытое пергаментной бумагой.

Recipe comes from "Life in balance" by Donna Hay

Easy Refrigerator Pickles with Bay leaf

1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
5 cloves garlic, peeled
6 large sprigs fresh dill
1 bay leaf
(optional) 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste (I used and it brings a real zing to pickles)
1 large English hothouse seedless cucumber, sliced into rounds or spears

Add the water, vinegar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, dill and bay leaf to a large (1-quart) jar — or divide the mixture evenly between two small (1-pint) jars — and stir to combine.

Add the sliced cucumbers to the jar(s).  Then place the lids on the jar(s), and shake to combine.

Refrigerate ideally for at least 2 days before eating, although you can totally dive in before that time.  The pickles will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe comes from Gimme some oven