Barley and Kale Grain Bowl

It's a new year and I'm giving my kitchen a revitalized injection of activity. Well...later. I'm house/dog sitting right now and I looooove noodling around in other people's kitchens. I have been talking a lot, to no one in particular, about making more grain bowls in the new year. I'm fortunate to spend 40 hours a week in this awesome foodie market...

..where I sell my favorite food on earth. Cheese.
From time to time there's staff produce available that's not quite purdy enough for the paying guests, Last week I salvaged some limp kale, marjoram, thyme and rosemary. Then they sat in my fridge for another week, waiting for me to get my act together and cook up the grains and lentils. 

Grain bowls are a great way to use up last nights limp salad or wilted greens or leftover taco fixin's. They're infinite in possibilites and flavor packed. Along with  little foresight  to cook and freeze a boatload of grains and legumes, assembly is a breeze. Make a big batch because it's even better the next day.

Delicious. Healthy. Economical. Versatile. Awesome.

The key is balance.
You want some acidity, sweetness, savoriness, salt and a bit of spice. The other component is texture, creamy, chewy, crunchy...so you've got your grain, legume, greens, cheese, nuts or seeds, dried fruit (or fresh) and a melange of herbs. What. Ever.
This bowl started with a pantry clean-out unearthing a bag of pearled barley from a market that went out of business a year ago along with a bag of puy lentils of indeterminate age.
I cooked each separately in chicken bouillon, let them drain and cool a bit then spread each out on a sheet pan and placed them in the freezer for about 30 minutes just until frozen. Transfer into 2-3 two cup freezer bags.
When you're ready to  prepare your bowl, dump the frozen barley into a large strainer, rinse under cold water and break any chunks apart. Place into a microwave safe bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and puncture a few holes with a fork. Microwave for one minute, give it a stir and then let it go for another minute until it's just warm, not hot. Toss in dressing and let sit for about 15 minutes. While the barley is resting, warm up the frozen lentils in the same manner.

Make your favorite dressing. Here's mine:

olive oil
red wine vinegar
lemon juice
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
Dijon mustard
fresh chopped marjoram and tarragon

Into the bowl:
kale cut into a thin chiffonade, add some of the dressing, toss and  coat it really good. Use your hands to massage it a bit, then add:
warmed grain and legume
caramelized onion or chopped red onions or crispy fried shallots
chopped nuts and or seeds (I used a nut/dried cranberry mix from Trader Joes)
crumbled feta or goat cheese (I used a cranberry orange goat cheese-it added a lovely citrusy tang and a touch of sweetness
fresh herbs ( I had fresh marjoram and tarragon on hand)
a hard boiled egg or two ( or some shredded chicken)

Mix everything together and if you can stand it, let it sit for 30 minutes the flavors get a chance to meld.
Finish with some slices of avocado on top and you're good to go.

Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Sour Cream Sumac Sauce

Another Jerusalem fave. I've made these tasty little sliders several times now and I just can't get enough-they are so flavorful and the sumac sauce just puts it over the top. I double the recipe so I can revel in the leftovers. The first time I made these & packed the leftovers for my office lunch, the aroma wafting from the microwave followed by the visual at my desk had my office mates & bakery peeps mesmerized and fairly disgusted with their $10 deli sandwiches. I made these with the Basmati & Wild Rice in the previous post. This morning I chopped up 3 burgers and tossed the colorful little bites in amongst the rice, nuked it for a minute and topped it off with a poached egg. Needless to say, bliss in a bowl.
The great thing about these burgers and the rice dish is that the flavors are at their best at room temperature or slightly warmed so you can make this ahead of time if you decide (and rightly so) you're gonna make this for guests.

Turkey & zucchini burgers with green onion & cumin
from Jerusalem the Cookbook

1 pound ground turkey

1 large zucchini coarsely grated -about 2 cups

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

2 tablespoon chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

About 6 ½ tbsp of sunflower oil, for searing

sour cream & sumac sauce

scant 1/2 cup sour cream scant ⅔ cup Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sumac

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Make the sour cream sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands and then shape into about 18 burgers, each weighing about 1 ½ oz.

Pour enough sunflower oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about inch thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper and place them in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.

BLTCA pinwheels

This is another one of my office lunch go-to's, a super simple make ahead using either leftover chicken or grill up a chicken breast or two. I cooked up and crumbled some bacon and mixed it with my home made mayo. I added a little adobo sauce to the mayo for some kick, that's why its pink.

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, chicken & avocado.

A great everyday lunch wrap or you can fancy it up by slicing it into pinwheels. Tightly roll, wrap with plastic  twisting the ends. Chill for at least an hour or overnight if you want to make several  up on a Sunday and have one for lunch the next day. This is also a great way to use up leftover salad that's gone wilty.

There's really no recipe for this but here are the components:


cooked chicken breast diced up
cooked bacon crumbled
mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl and set aside.

several leaves of lettuce, stacked and tightly rolled, then sliced into a chiffonade (thin strips)

one tomato-diced

several basil leaves, stacked and tightly rolled, then sliced into a chiffonade

one avocado halved, then quartered-make a bunch of diagonal cuts to, but not through the skin, scoop the  slices out of the skin with a spoon

On a large tortilla spread about a half cup of the chicken over two thirds of the tortilla. On the top third spread out just some of the mayonnaise so the tortilla will stick at the end.

Top the mix evenly with lettuce, tomato, basil and slices of avocado. Finish with a couple of turns of fresh cracked pepper. 

Beginning at the filling end, tightly roll up toward the plain end, you don't need to tuck the sides in.

Tear off a sheet of plastic wrap and lay it flat on your work surface. Place your roll on the bottom edge and center it. Roll it up and then twist the ends tightly. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Enjoy!