Go To Kale/Quinoa Salad

So there's some serious snow on the ground here.... fortunately my roommate and I are well stocked and are using our snow days to watch as many Oscar nominated films as possible, drink prosecco, play board games, and eat all the cheese. We figured we might be snowed in for a while, so stocked up before the storm and have since made hummus, veggie pizza, a kale, sweet potato, & goat cheese tart, mushroom soup, and three different kinds of pesto (because you can never have too much pesto). 

While all our snow cooking adventures have been fun, it's also nice to have easy fallbacks to make when you feel the need to eat healthily and/or make something quick and simple. Enter the kale/quinoa salad. It's incredibly basic (in every sense of the word) but I love it. 

The kale is raw but the lemon and warm quinoa help relax the leaves so they have a soft texture but keep their fresh flavor. I often make this on Sunday and then take it for lunch throughout the week (it keeps for about a week in the fridge and can be eaten warm or cold). I'll add a dollop of yogurt to this salad or eat it on top of a roasted sweet potato. If I wasn't allergic to eggs, I would probably add a fried egg and call it dinner. 

Steps

Rinse and cook the quinoa in a small pan. While the quinoa cooks, tear and wash the kale. In a large bowl, massage the lemon juice into the kale. Finely dice the red onion. 

Add quinoa and red onion to the bowl of kale. Crumble in the goat cheese, pour in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix vigorously. 

Stuff

1 cup quinoa 

1 bunch kale

1 small red onion 

1/3 log goat cheese

juice from 1 lemon

good splash of balsamic vinegar 

olive oil 

salt & pepper

Tomato Pearl Barley Risotto

It's the weird period between Christmas and New Year's Eve where most of my diet is made up of sparkling wine, left over salmon, and cheese (plus I don't want to get too adventurous or virtuous in the kitchen just yet). I'm back in Scotland where it's wet and chilly and all I want to do is eat cosy food in front of a fire, watching endless episodes of Made in Chelsea. 

This tomato barley risotto is perfect for cold, lazy nights. It's much less hassle than normal risotto but just as warm and comforting. It's a really quick week night dinner but you can also make a big batch on Sunday and snack it on all week (which I often do). 

It's a fairly simple dish that you can dress up as you like. I add a splash of sherry and a dollop of créme fraîche to mine, but these are optional. You could skip the cheese and butter to make it vegan (maybe add a sprinkle of horseradish or sumac to deepen the flavor)? Of course, you could always add more cheese and butter too....

Steps

Dice onion and garlic. Heat butter in a large sauce pan on a medium high heat, add onion, then garlic. Sauté and add thyme leaves, paprika, coriander, chili flakes, oregano, and salt & pepper.

Add pearl barley and stir everything together. Deglaze the pan with sherry and allow alcohol to burn off. Add tomatoes (then rinse the can with some water and add that too). Add vegetable stock then reduce heat and simmer until the barley is cooked through (approx. 30 minutes). Stir constantly to stop the risotto sticking to the pan. 

Once cooked, remove from heat. Add lemon zest and juice, créme fraîche, and most of the parmesan. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon the risotto into bowls, garnish with a couple of thyme leaves and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan. 

Stuff

1 cup pearl barley

1 can diced tomatoes 

2 cups vegetable stock

1 onion 

2 garlic cloves

1 lemon

knob of butter

handful of grated parmesan 

a dollop of créme fraîche

good slash of sherry 

couple sprigs of thyme

pinch of paprika

pinch of coriander

pinch of chili flakes

pinch of oregano

salt & pepper