Warm Balsamic Barley Salad

Tender and chewy barley mingles with ripe tomato, vegan Italian sausage, bright swiss chard, and protein-rich chickpeas. Lightly bathed in a basil-balsamic dressing, this is a beautiful and hearty salad that’s great warm or cold. It tastes even better the following day, which makes it the perfect “make ahead” salad!

Hey there! How's the midweek going for you? Mine has been really good; kind of busy but in the best way possible. My brother-in-law is visiting us here in Alaska from his college in Vermont to work on a short documentary regarding climate change. Part of that involved the Iditarod. Did you know for two years in a row snow has been carted by train over 350 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage for the ceremonial start? This year it was shortened from 11 miles to just 3 miles. Pretty scary stuff. We spent the weekend photographing the dogs and Ross used his drone to capture some pretty awesome images. You can see more of his work at his Instagram, under username jrhenry10. Below is a drone shot he took of a musher leaving Willow after the real start (restart) with Denali in the background. 

He has also decided to be completely vegan for a month in response to realizing the effects of animal agriculture on the environment. The single best thing we can do to stop climate change is to stop consuming animal products. Maybe we can get him to be vegan for good? ;) Muahhahaha. If you'd like to learn more about the environment and how drastically it's affected by animal agriculture, check out the infographic at the very bottom of this post; it's one of the best I've seen yet.

“As far as eating is concerned, humans are the most stupid animals on the planet. We kill billions of wild animals to protect the animals that we eat. We are destroying our environment to feed the animals we eat. We spend more time, money and resources fattening up the animals that we eat, than we do feeding humans who are dying of hunger. The greatest irony is that after all the expenses of raising these animals, we eat them; and they kill us slowly. And rather than recognize this madness, we torture and murder millions of other animals trying to find cures to diseases caused by eating animals in the first place.”

— Mike Anderson

With the excitement and yearning for Todd and I to hang out with Ross instead of cooking, I've been turning to quick and easy dishes. Basically, my veg from the CSA box and any grain that tickles my fancy that day (or whatever I have left in the pantry). Along with fresh herbs (thanks to my Aerogarden), vegan sausage from the freezer, and some canned chickpeas this salad was among my favorite meals of the week! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Warm Balsamic Barley Salad

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 03/08/2016

Tender and chewy barley mingles with ripe tomato, vegan Italian sausage, bright swiss chard, and protein-rich chickpeas. Lightly bathed in a basil-balsamic dressing, this is a beautiful and hearty salad that’s great warm or cold. It tastes even better the following day, which makes it the perfect “make ahead” salad!

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearled barley, dry
• 3 cups water
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Italian Field Roast sausages, diced
• 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 1 small bunch of swiss or red chard, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• Pinch of salt, to taste
• Dash of black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade (optional)
• Garnish of broccoli sprouts or microgreens (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, bring the barley, water, and a pinch of salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cover; cook for about 30-45 minutes until the barley is tender and chewy. Drain and set aside.
2. While the barley cooks, heat the olive oil over medium-low in a large rimmed frying pan. Add the sausage, tomato, and chard; saute for about 5 minutes until the chard has wilted. Stir in the remaining ingredients excluding the fresh basil and sprouts; cook for an additional 5 minutes to warm the chickpeas.
3. Once the barley is done cooking, stir it into the chickpea mixture to combine. Serve the salad warm or cold and topped with fresh basil and sprouts. This salad is even better the following day!

Yield: 4

Anouk (ann-uhk) says hello! Isn't he the cutest? It's really strange having a small dog as I've always grew up with large dogs and let's be honest... Bob is pretty much the size of small pony with giraffe legs. I love the pink little butterfly on his nose too! It's very saddening that just about every week I discover a new scar on him somewhere. He has a little Alfalfaesc hair tuft on the very top of his head that I am always trying to smooth down; yesterday I realized there's a big scar underneath and that's why the surrounding hair doesn't lay flat *sad face*. He's only eight months! How could anyone hurt a little puppy? However, it warms my heart to know he's in a safe and loving home now *happy face*!

If you've been vegan for a while you've probably found yourself wondering how on earth your veggie laden entree is the same price as it's meaty counterpart. This article from Serious Eats helps you understand why. Still doesn't answer why we can't catch a break on holding off on the cheese and meats on pizza though... 

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Garam Masala Lentil & Vegetable Squash Bowls

Spiced garam masala lentils combine with an assortment of savory vegetables, nestled in a roasted acorn squash half all topped with vegan sour cream and fresh basil.

Are you on Goodreads? Oh my lordy, I have discovered so many great books. My goal is to read 65 books this year and I'm already six ahead of schedule! If you're on Goodreads, add me as a friend! You can see what I'm currently reading on the right sidebar, with a link to my profile. A book of note I just finished was Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning and I really enjoyed it! I also read Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body by Jo Marchant, which was super interesting and I definitely recommend it as well. If you're looking for a wonderful, scientific book on eating for your health (which, surprise, happens to be plant-based), check out How to Not Die by Michael Greger, MD. Those have been my favorite books in the past couple of weeks. Do you have any good books to recommend?

“Food, Inc. is like a Disney movie compared to Earthlings... It’s inside footage of factory farms; 50 billion animals a year are killed. They’re in pain, treated badly, diseased, pumped full of antibiotics. I saw the reality and just couldn’t ignore it. And I’m happier and healthier. ”

— Ellen Degeneres

I really enjoy this dish, it's about my third time making/perfecting it. I adore lentils and am always trying to increasingly sneak them into pretty much everything. Broccoli and squash are two of my most beloved vegetables, so it's no wonder why I can't stop making it. I hope you enjoy it as much as Todd and I do! 

Garam Masala Lentil & Vegetable Squash Bowls

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Spiced garam masala lentils combine with an assortment of savory vegetables, nestled in a roasted acorn squash half all topped with vegan sour cream and fresh basil.

Ingredients

• 3 whole acorn squash, halved and de-seeded
• 1 large head of broccoli (florets only), chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 1 large celery stalk, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1-2 tsp fresh chili paste, to taste
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• dash of ground black pepper
• dash of kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup green lentils (or any other color, except red)
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• juice from 1 medium orange
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• vegan sour cream, for garnish
• fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the squash halves face-down on two baking sheets and bake for about 30-50 minutes until fork tender (depending on how large they are). Remove from oven when done and set aside to cool. Once the squash is done cooking, place the chopped broccoli on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until slightly tender.
2. In a pressure cooker or large soup pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium low. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, garlic, and onion. Saute about 5 minutes until fragrant and the onions have softened. Add the celery, carrots, mustard, chili paste, thyme, pepper, and salt; saute about 5 additional minutes. Stir in the lentils and vegetable broth; bring to high pressure and cook for about 10 minutes. Then, remove from heat and allow to depressurize naturally. Alternatively, bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer and cover; cook for about 40 minutes until the lentils are tender, stir occasionally.
3. Once the lentils are tender and the broccoli is done roasting, stir the broccoli, orange juice, agave nectar, and apple cider vinegar into the lentil mixture.
4. Place each roasted squash half on a plate and divide the lentil mixture evenly into each squash bowl. Top with vegan sour cream and fresh, chopped basil. Serve hot.

Yield: 6

As usual I've got my little sous chef to help me out. It was a wet and snowy day. It was fabulous while it lasted... it didn't stick.

If you need an environmental reason to eat less meat (or just go totally vegan?)... look to none other than our ice caps. Oh wait... they're all disappearing :( Read this terrifying 'Holy Shit' article to learn all about it. Sea levels rising!!!

Chocolate Avocado Cake

A lightly sweetened and deliciously fudgy cake that you won’t believe is actually pretty healthy! Scrumptious avocados star in creating this dense snack cake and creamy frosting. It’s a super easy and quick cake that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, and/or dessert!

“Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it. ”

— Buddha

Most days I'm like, "Damn.. I'm pretty much the luckiest person ever. I'm so grateful for everything I have; a loving husband, supportive family, dream home, adorable furbabies, a general lack of needfulness, easy access to a variety of healthy foods, freedom from illness, etc." Then other days I'm like, "Dammit! I got wayyyyy too many avocados over here! How did this happen? I'm fairly certain I started with just two. Are they procreating? What the heck am I supposed to do with all these mofos?! Argh!" It's a good day when the majority of your stress revolves around fretting what to do with an aging, prolific agglomeration of gangster avocados.

It's also a good day when chocolate cake is involved. It's even better when almost half of said avocados are used in said cake! A win-win for everyone involved. 

I want to thank you all for the flood of heartfelt comments regarding my last post. You're all so incredibly kind. It's important to keep in mind that many people are going through the same thing you're going through. We can all lend support and love to one another in times of struggle and that's why I decided to share my stories with you all. I think it really helps. Thank you for virtual hugs and words of compassion and empathy, from the deepest chambers of my emo little heart. It means the world.

Okay so, when I was making this cake, we were having a crazy springlike day. It was so sunny and warm I had to keep all the doors open! Bailey and Anouk (our new furbaby) just hung out on the deck, basking in the Alaskan sun. Check out all their adorableness on my Facebook or Instagram pages. I also went for my first run in a month since breaking my foot! It was a good day, indeed. 

This cake uses three, count 'em three avocados! In addition, it also sports super healthy flaxseed, coconut oil, almond flour, cacao powder, and for an extra boost of antioxidant power I snuck in some chipotle chili powder into the frosting (optional). Sweet and spicy! This cake is just lightly sweetened, so I don't recommend skipping the frosting on this one. I've been eating a slice for breakfast everyday. Todd thinks it's a wee bit too healthy for him (he's not a reliable source when it comes to healthy desserts...). That means lots of cake for me... cake for daaaaaays. #noshame

Chocolate Avocado Cake

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

A lightly sweetened and deliciously fudgy cake that you won’t believe is actually pretty healthy! Scrumptious avocados star in creating this dense snack cake and creamy frosting. It’s a super easy and quick cake that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, and/or dessert! Cake adapted from Clean Green Eats by Candice Kumai.

Ingredients

• - CAKE -
• scant 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 ¾ cup gluten-free blend or all-purpose flour
• heaping ¾ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• meat from 1 large, ripe avocado
• heaping ½ cup vegan granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups fresh water
• ⅓ cup melted, unrefined coconut oil
• splash of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• - FROSTING -
• meat from 2 large, ripe avocados
• ½ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp vegan powdered sugar
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 - 1 ½ tsp chipotle chili powder (optional)
• splash of vanilla extract
• dash of kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a blender or food processor, process the almonds until they become a flour (but not so much that you make almond butter). Pulse in the all-purpose flour, cacao powder, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Add the avocado and sugar to the empty food processor and process until smooth. Pulse in the water, oil, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda then pulse into the wet mixture until well combined. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. The batter should be quite thick.
3. Line the bottom of an 8” round cake pan with parchment paper and spray the sides with a nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the cake batter into the pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes, until set. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely (at least 40 minutes) on a wire cooling rack.
4. While the cake cools, clean out the processor. Add all the frosting ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. Frost the top and sides of the cooled cake with a spatula. Slice and serve. Store in the fridge.

Yield: 1 8" round cake

Read this story from Mother Jones on how the meat industry consumes over 4/5ths of all antibiotic use. Superbugs, anyone? It'd be funny how hypocritical we are if it wasn't so shockingly terrifying. 

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