Toasted Barley and Quinoa Tabouleh
1/2 cup pearled barley
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups minced tomato
1 cup chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
"Directions"
In a large, dry saucepan, toast the barley over low heat, swirling the pan to toast it evenly. Cook until it's slightly browned and smells a little nutty, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the water, raise the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat back down to low, cover, and cook until the barley is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, then fluff the grains with a fork.
While the barley is cooking, rinse the quinoa several times, using a fine-mesh strainer to drain off the water. Transfer the quinoa to a medium saucepan. Add the remaining 2 cups water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is somewhat translucent and a white ring is clearly visible around the centre of the grain, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid and fluff with a fork.
Let the barley and quinoa cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl and add the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, and mint. Stir until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve chilled. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, any leftovers will keep for up to 5 days.
Tempeh Fuego Burgers
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup king trumpet or portobello mushrooms, finely chopped (or Matsutake)
1 pound tempeh, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, baked and mashed
4 teaspoons Bragg liquid yeast Aminos (Low sodium soy sauce or tamari can be used)
1 tablespoon brewer's yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (cornstarch can be used)
1 tablespoon water
4 Ciabatta rolls
Roasted Garlic and Lemon Mayo
Fresh or pickled jalapeno or serrano peppers, sliced
4 slices white Cheddar chees
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the tempeh and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, liquid aminos, brewer's yeast, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Combine the arrowroot powder and water, mixing to form a slurry. Add it to the tempeh mixture and stir until well combined. Cook for 1 more minute to allow the arrowroot to thicken the mixture.
Remove from the heat and let stand until cool enough to handle. Divide the mixture, which will be somewhat moist, into 4 equal portions and, as best you can, shape each to resemble a traditional hamburger patty.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Carefully transfer the patties to the pan using a wide spatula and cook until seared and nicely crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the patties over and cook until a nice crust has developed on the other side and the patty is heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Split and lightly toast the ciabatta rolls. Spread a thin layer of the mayo on both split surfaces. Adorn a thin layer of the mayo on both split surfaces. Adorn the bottom half of each roll with a patty, add jalapeno slices to tase (fuego means fire, so don't wuss out ... now!), drape a slice of Cheddar over each, and crown with their matching ciabatta tops. Serve immediately.
Roasted Garlic and Lemon Mayo
6 egg yolks
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 head Roasted Garlic
Salt
Put the egg yolks and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Process for 10 seconds to combine. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and continue to process until completely emulsified. Add the roasted garlic and pulse until well incorporated. Season with salt to taste. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the mayo will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Roasted Garlic
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cut the top 1/4 inch off the head of garlic, leaving the head intact but exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place it cut side up on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Gather the foil up around the garlic, folding or twisting the top to seal.
Roast for 1 hour, then let the garlic cool completely. Use a fork to pull the roasted cloves out from their papery skin. Alternatively, you can squeeze the clove out from the bottom up using your hands.
Oh, after all of this work... Enjoy.
