Barley Tabbouleh

This recipe I actually found through the Weight Watcher's community. I had no idea what a tabbouleh was.

Apparently it is basically a salad. Originally a Levantine dish, usually based in bulgur (not barley). Meaning roughly "little spicy". & this certainly was a flavorful & filling dish for us.

I started by soaking 1/3 cup barley all day. Then I brought 2/3 cup of veggie broth to a boil. Following that, I lowered the heat & simmered the barley for ten minutes.

Then I mixed: the barley, two cup chickpeas, half of a medium diced yellow bell pepper, 6 small tomatoes quartered, 1/3 cup chopped red onion, a few tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, & a quarter cup finely chopped basil.

I also discovered a new band that I rather like, in the process. They are called Bruekke.

Bruekke is a German name. Etymologically it would have meant someone who lives near a bridge. But the word brugga, or bridge, was in turn derived from Low German for swamp. Or at least this is what about five minutes of research tells me.

This last song I heard especially dazzled me. It resonated well with my relationship with my husband & how we started out five years ago.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Bruekke- The Shore

Zucchini Basil Pizza

For this pizza I used the following Farmer's Market delights: one whole wheat pizza crust, two medium vine-ripened tomatoes, one small portion of a rather large zucchini, one quarter cup chopped fresh basil, & one half an onion.

I also used: one quarter cup mushroom pasta sauce, a few tablespoons of basil from our own garden, & fat free mozzarella.

I garnished with some ground cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese, & basil leaves.

I baked it at 475 for about ten minutes.

It all added up to delicious, quite filling, & surprisingly rather healthy for a pizza.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Megan Henwood- Making Waves

Red Wine Cucumber Salad

Last night, with our Bison steaks, I threw together a cucumber salad.

I am rather picky about cucumbers, & rather turn my nose up at most of what the grocery stores have to offer in this area. I especially cannot abide by all that wax, rendering the lovely peels inedible. So I fervently hope that our little cucumber plant, full of tiny cucumbers & flowers currently, produces abundantly in the end. In the meanwhile we will rejoice in the box of small & crisp cucumbers we happened upon in last weekend's Farmer's Market.

For this salad I combined: One large thinly sliced green onion, two small diced tomatoes, three small thinly sliced cucumbers, two minced cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of red wine, & 4 tsp olive oil.

(All but the final two it was our good fortune to find at the Farmer's Market downtown.)

I allowed the salad to marinate for a little over an hour. It was quite remarkable with a bit of salt & pepper.

Also, if you get the chance & happen to be omnivorous as I am, do try Bison steaks some time. Less fatty & more tender than the beef counterparts.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Pearl and the Beard- Sweetness

Zucchini & Mint

Finally, a meal that is completely from Farmer's Market produce.

We had lamb shoulder with "ambrosia" tomatoes & a yellow onion. Amazing, of course!

& on the side the most simple but interesting side I've made in a goodly while. All we did was heat some garlic, steam for a while, & then add three tbsp of chopped fresh mint. Zucchini and mint pair wonderfully together, each bringing out subtle beauty in the other.

& I loved the speckled zucchini and the broad leafed mint. Alas, I did not photo the mint before it wilted.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Ger Wolfe- She Scattered Crumbs

Chinese Spinach Soup

Each week whilst wandering about the farmer's market, my eyes kept being drawn to a lovely bunch of leaves marked "Chinese Spinach". The rich red-purple colour was irresistible, & eventually I gave in & purchased the inexpensive beauties, even with no knowledge of what they might taste like.

I wish I had provided you with a lovely picture of those leaves (maybe in the weeks to come) but by the time I finally got around to researching what to do with them, they had fallen somewhat from their former glory & were quite wilted.

Basically this soup is sauteed onion, wilted Chinese Spinach leaves, a few cloves of garlic, & 1/2 cup of Crème fraiche. And to my surprise it came out rather pink, but still rather pretty.

We decided when we try this again we will shred the spinach before adding it, instead of adding it whole. The spinach itself is rather spinachy but with a bit of a sourness. I read that it can be compared to sorrel, but am unfamiliar with that flavor.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

the Carrivick Sisters- Down on the Sand