What’s For Lunch?

After much fussing and fidgeting and not really wanting to cook every day I decided a cold salad would perfectly fit my needs. It’s full of veggies and hearty whole grains with just a bit of tofu for extra protein and creamy texture. This recipe would work well with both quinoa and barley if you are gluten sensitive.

Wheat Berry Salad

Serves 4

2 c cooked wheat berries

To cook the wheat you will need 2 ½ c water in a med sized pot, bring it to a boil. To it add 1 c wheat berries. Turn the heat down to med low and cover until the wheat is tender. This takes about 60 minutes depending on your type of wheat. The wheat is chewy and all of the water should be gone.

2 T olive oil

1 t lemon zest

Juice from 1 lemon

¼ c fresh parsley - chopped

¼ c fresh basil- chopped fine

6 oz diced firm tofu

2 t Cholula hot sauce

½ t sea salt

Lots of pepper to taste

2 t cumin

½ c carrots – chopped

1 medium zucchini – chopped

½ c sprouts (radish works well)

1 T flax oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

2 T red wine vinegar

After the wheat cools, toss everything together and refrigerate for about an hour.

Other good ideas:

Most any whole grain would be good in this

Serve in ½ an avocado with lots more sprouts

Dilly Quick Pickles

Dilly Quick Pickles

1 pound cucumbers ( I used the little lemon cukes from my garden but any will work)

1 T pickling salt or 1.5 T sea salt

Cut up the cukes into bite sized chunks , place into a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let this sit out for 2 hours.

Now rinse and drain well and put back into the bowl.

Add:

1 t chopped garlic

3 T chopped fresh dill

¼ t red pepper flakes

¼ c cider vinegar

¼ t black pepper

Combine well, cover and let sit in fridge for a few hours before serving. Stir at least once in that time.

These are really good with BBQ beef and chicken

Other good ideas:

1. Add in red peppers or your favorite veg

2. Experiment with flavored vinegars

3. Add other seasonings

Today From Jamie's Garden!

Another good day in the Wilson’s garden. I picked scallions, broccoli, a pepperocini pepper, English peas, basil and curly parsley. I’ll use the herbs tonight for dinner.

Broccoli Salad
Serves 2
3 c chopped fresh broccoli including stems
3 scallions finely chopped whites and some green
3 T toasted sunflower seeds
¼ c organic raisins
2 T organic Mayonnaise
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 t honey
Pinch sea salt

Chop up and combine the top 4 ingredients in a med sized bowl. In a small bowl mix the honey and the vinegar and put mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds to heat the honey. Now add the mayo and mix well. Toss together with the broccoli and salt if you like and now refrigerate for at least an hour before eating.