Eenie Meenie Broccolini

It is apparent that summer is upon us. All the signs are there, the fireflies are glowing in the twilight, Barney's shedding has quadrupled, and regular Yoga For Beginners in my living room felt like bikram yoga. So naturally I decided to make soup for dinner! Nothing cools you off like a piping hot bowl of soup. The truth is, I love soup. I eat it year round. There's just something comforting about a nice bowl of soup. And there are so many different ways to make soup. Ok, I've typed the word soup too much, I'm done. The two dishes I prepared tonight might be one of the most random food pairings in the history of food pairings. One was like comfort food, the other was kind of fancy schmancy. Oh well, they were tasty!

Barley and Potato Soup



Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min


Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:


• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped
•2 large carrots, diced
• 3 cups potatoes, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups vegetable stock or water (I used a combo)
• ¾ cup barley
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon marjoram
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch of sea salt


Directions:


1. Heat oil in a LARGE stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Sauté until the veggies start to soften, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add stock, barley, herbs, salt, and pepper and simmer on low to medium for 45 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaves…don’t forget, there are two of them!
4. Eat, drink, and be merry!


Notes: I normally don’t peel my potatoes since that is where most of the nutrients are, but obviously feel free to peel them if that is your preference. If you don’t peel them, be sure to scrub them very well. Those little buggers can be dirty! This made a lot of soup, which I like, since I will be able to get a few meals out of it and freeze some for a later date. But if you’re looking for something on a smaller scale, just half all of the ingredients, I’m sure it will be just as delicious. Next time I might throw some beans in there for a protein boost.

Balsamic Broccolini



Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 25 min

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches broccolini, stems trimmed
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch of sea salt


Directions:


1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and toast for about 5 minutes. Watch them closely or they will BURN….trust me.
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
3. Place pine nuts in a bowl and put to the side. In the same skillet, add olive oil and shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Once water is boiling, add the broccolini and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Drain broccolini well and add to shallots. Add white balsamic vinegar, pepper, and salt and stir for about 2 minutes, until vinegar reduces.
6. Remove from heat and add reserved pine nuts.
7. Eat, drink, and be merry!


Notes: This little fancy pants recipe was pretty good. However, next time I think I will save some pennies and just make the poor man’s version using regular broccoli, regular onion, regular balsamic vinegar…..mmm better keep the pine nuts!

This lil' veg came with it's own introduction...no need to google! What this card fails to mention is that broccolini carries high amounts of vitamin C, potassium, iron, fiber, and vitamin A. Yay!

It looks like a little forest on a plate.

What exactly is white balsamic vinegar you say? Well I'm glad you asked. Grape musts...hhhmmmm.

Roasty toasty pine nuts...yum! It is my firm belief that all nuts are better toasted. It brings out the flavors and makes the kitchen smell yumtastic...yes, I just made that word up.

Final product. It tasted great and was very filling.

Here's a little tip for any of you dog lovers out there...they love banana chips for a treat...at least mine does. It's fun to watch him eat them because they're so crunchy. Just make sure to get some that don't have too much sugar, as it is not good for pooches, or humans for that matter.

He looks like a little old man. A little old man that loves banana chips!

And finally, I realize that I have not made a dessert or anything sweet to post on here, and that is just unacceptable. Perhaps I will bake something up this weekend to share with you, but until then, I leave you with this photo of delightful cupcakes that I made for an Easter gathering.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter, oh my!