Farro Salad

There are two essential steps to a stellar farro salad. The first is cooking the farro with enough salt and aromatics so that it delicious before you combine it with the rest of the ingredients. The second is to use very good olive oil in the dressing. This farro salad, from the restaurant Charlie Bird in SoHo, hits both these marks. The chef Ryan Hardy cooks the farro in apple cider seasoned with bay leaves and plenty of salt, which renders it good enough to eat on its own. But it’s even better after he adds loads of olive oil, plus pistachio nuts and Parmesan cheese to make it even richer. Then, before serving, he folds in fresh vegetables to brighten it up: juicy tomatoes, radishes, arugula and plenty of herbs. There are many farro salads of this ilk out there. This is one of the best.

• Yield 6 servings
• Time 45 minutes
•  
•  

Ingredients

• 1 cup farro
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 70 grams Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (1/2 cup)
• 70 grams chopped pistachio nuts (1/2 cup)
• 2 cups arugula leaves
• 1 cup parsley or basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup mint leaves
• ¾ cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced radish
• Maldon or other flaky sea salt, for finishing

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, salt, bay leaves and 2 cups water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If all the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Let farro cool, then discard bay leaves.
2. In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add farro, cheese and pistachio nuts and mix well. This salad base will keep for up to 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before serving). Just before serving, fold in arugula, herbs, tomatoes, radish and flaky salt to taste.

Mushroom with Cauliflower Rice Skillet Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stick celery, sliced
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1 big garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 14 oz. (400g) cauliflower rice (see instructions below on how to make the cauliflower rice)
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• Soy sauce to taste  or Coconut Aminos a  soy sauce alternative.
• 2 cups spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor for about 25-30 seconds until it’s a rice-like consistency. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet add olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add onions and celery and cook until tender about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add mushroom and sauté until it’s cooked through.
6. Add the cauliflower rice, the vegetable broth, and soy sauce. Allow the cauliflower rice to absorb the vegetable broth. Cook until it is soft, but not mushy.
7. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving. Enjoy!

If you love cauliflower recipes, bet you will love making Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, this Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Cauliflower salad, this One-pot Cauliflower Curry recipe, this Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe or this Spicy chicken with mashed cauliflower.

Ground Meat Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lbs extra-lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup onions, diced
• ½ cup yellow pepper, diced
• 1 ½ cups sweet potato, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A pinch of red chili flakes
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley for garnishing

Directions:

1. In an iron cast skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add ground turkey and garlic. Use a wood spoon breaking up the turkey while it cooks. Stir occasionally and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add onions and yellow peppers and cook until onions are soft.
4. Add the sweet potato, chili pepper, salt, and pepper.
5. Cover the skillet and cook until they are tender. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. If necessary, add more olive oil or a little bit of water to cook the sweet potato faster.
6. While the sweet potato is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
7. When the sweet potato is tender, add shredded mozzarella cheese and bring the skillet to the oven to melt the cheese* (see note below).
8. When the cheese melts, remove from the oven, and garnish with parsley.

* You can just put the lid on the skillet for 5 minutes.The cheese will melt. **You can keep this recipe in the fridge for up 6 days. For this recipe, I used ground turkey that is 85% more lean and has 15% less fat than beef.

Chili Con Carne

Chili is a great dish for stretching food dollars. The vegetables are basic and the beans are always a budget-friendly choice, canned or dry. When using whole cuts of meat, there's a lot more flexibility in what meat we can use - meaning it's ok to substitute whatever meat is on sale this week.

This recipe calls for chuck, but you can feel free to use any shoulder cut, top or bottom round, steak tips, stew meat, or even flank steak. We also sometimes see a cut called "London Broil," which is actually either chuck or top round but packaged as a smaller cut.

In this recipe, we used dry beans that we cooked until they were barely al dente. We add them in the last half hour or so of cooking so they absorb some of the chili broth and soften to perfection. If you use canned beans, add them along with the corn so they don't get overcooked.

As a final note, think of this recipe as a template for making chili. It really is a basic recipe, and you should feel free to add or subtract ingredients or adjust the flavoring to your particular taste!
 
Serves 6 - 8

2 slices bacon, chopped
1.5 - 2 pounds chuck roast, trimmed of gristle and fat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 Tablespoon salt
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups beef or chicken stock
3 cups of beans (or 2 cans, drained) - pinto, red kidney, or black beans
1 - 2 cups frozen corn
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 - 3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce (optional)
Shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese, for serving

In a 6-quart dutch oven or soup pot, fry the bacon over high heat until just crispy. Scoop the bacon out with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a paper towel to drain.

Add the beef cubes to the pan in batches, being sure not to crowd the pan. Sear the meat on all sides and then transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef. There should be a dark "fond" forming on the bottom of the pan during the searing. If you start to smell a burnt aroma, turn down the heat to medium.

Drain the bacon fat, leaving one teaspoon in the pan (or add a teaspoon of vegetable oil if no more grease remains). Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion until it's translucent. Sprinkle the onions with a little salt while they cook. Add the peppers and cook until they have just begun to soften.

Clear a space in the middle of the pan and cook the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the spices and two teaspoons of salt, and cook until the spices are also fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes to the pan and scrape up the fond and other caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan while the tomato juice boils.

Add the stock, the beef cubes, and bacon. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for at least 30 minutes, but you can also continue simmering for an hour or more. The longer you have to cook the soup, the more tender the meat will get (just like a braise). Keep tasting the meat until it is as tender as you would like.

Thirty minutes before you'd like to serve, add the partially cooked beans. (If using canned beans, add them with the corn instead). Five minutes before serving, stir in the frozen corn, the Worcestershire sauce, and the hot sauce. Taste the stew and adjust the seasonings as desired. If it tastes a bit flat, add another few teaspoons of salt.

Serve in individual bowls chopped with shredded cheese. We also like to have some tortilla chips and squares of bread on hand for scooping bites and then mopping up the remains from the bottom of the bowl!

Leftovers can be refrigerated and re-heated for a week, or frozen for up to three months.

Related: Look! Cincinnati Chili Cupcakes

Tofu Chickpea Stir-Fry with Tahini Sauce

Serves 3 to 4

• For the sauce:
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

• For the stir fry:
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if using canned
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 8 ounces baked tofu, cubed (store-bought or homemade, or see Recipe Notes)

• To serve:
• 3 to 4 cups cooked rice or other grains (see Recipe Notes)
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Minced chives

Make the sauce: Stir together the ingredients for the sauce and set near the stove.

Make the stir-fry: In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chickpeas, stirring and tossing for about 2 minutes, until the chickpeas start to pop. Stir in the minced ginger and continue to cook for 1 minute more.

Add the onion and the peppers to the pan and cook until onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the baked tofu, cooking and stirring until the tofu is golden and chickpeas are browning, 4 to 6 minutes.

Pour the tahini sauce over the tofu and cook mixture for 60 seconds, just enough time to heat the sauce. Serve over grains and top with minced chives and toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

Tofu: I prefer the extra-crisp and unique texture of the baked tofu. However, 8 ounces of firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes, will also work as well.

Grains: I'll mix up the grains depending what I have on hand at the time. Picture is a mixture of quinoa and millet.

Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Storage: Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Shaved Carrot + Avocado Salad with Tahini Dressing

| serves 4 |

Dressing

• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt

 Salad:

• 3/4 lb (340 g) carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal into coins
• 1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 2 scallions, roots and dark green tops trimmed off, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

method

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, boiling water, olive oil, and lemon juice. season to taste with salt. put the carrots in a large bowl, add half of the dressing, and toss to combine.
2. transfer the dressed carrots to a serving platter.  use a spoon to artfully scoop the avocado from its shell into pieces and place them over the carrots.  season the avocado pieces to taste with salt and then drizzle the salad with the remaining dressing.  scatter the salad with the sesame seeds, scallions, and cilantro (if using).  serve immediately.   

note: if your sesame seeds aren't already toasted, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until they're golden brown, about 4 minutes

spin offs:

toss shaved fennel, thinly sliced kumquats, and sliced scallions with kumquat and/or lemon juice and olive oil.  garnish with fennel fronds, toasted marcona almonds, and lots of shaved parmesan.
dress shaved celery, toasted walnuts, and chopped italian parsley with lemon juice and olive oil.
dress shaved cabbage with sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.
dress shaved green apples with fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar. stir in salty peanuts and thinly sliced fresh red chile.

Crispy Orange Ground Beef & Veggies

Serves 4

 

1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 medium navel orange)
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh orange zest
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
Cooked rice, for serving
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
 

Remove the beef from the refrigerator and set out at room temperature while you make the sauce.

Place the orange juice, tamari or soy, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and red pepper flakes in a measuring cup with a spout or small bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the beef and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Press the meat into an even layer and cook undisturbed until the bottom is brown and crisped, about 4 minutes. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon, then press it into the pan to help it brown. Cook until well-browned and crisp all around, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a large paper towel-lined plate.

Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil around the pan. Add the orange zest, onion, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Rewhisk the sauce, pour into the pan, and stir to coat the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the pan and stir to combine. Serve over rice, topped with scallions.

Recipe Notes

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

From the Kitchn