Stir Fried Barley with Salmon and Tofu

Barley is a staple in our household.  We love both pot barley or pearl barley.  We like to add it to salad greens, add it into soup, or make flavoured rice.  This salmon and tofu stir fry is the recipe my 6 year old son loves best that he said he wants to pack for lunch everyday.  It's composed of pressed tofu, salmon and Brussel sprouts.  Feel free to substitute other ingredients that you enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Pot Barley

3.5 cups Water

1 Salmon, deboned (I keep the skin)

3 squares Pressed Tofu

10 pcs Brussel Sprouts

4 Stalks Green Onion

SEASONING:

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1-2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 tablespoon Sugar (option)

3 tablespoons Ketchup

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To cook the barley, rinse it with two changes of water; drain.  Combine the barley with the 3.5 cups of water.  Bring it to a boil over high heat and boil until the water is half absorbed.  Cover the pot with the lid and turn the heat to low.  Continuously boil for another 20 minutes and the water is totally absorbed, remove the pot from the heat.  Let it stand for 10 minutes before fluffing it.

2. In a non-stick frying pan, add some oil.  Lay the salmon in it with its skin side down.  Fry it over medium-high heat until the salmon is fully cooked.  Break apart the salmon with a spatula.

3. Add cooked barley, tofu, and brussel sprout. Stir fry until it heats up and then add the seasoning.  Stir fried for another 10 minutes and remove it from the heat.  Serve immediately.

Strawberry Poppy Waffle

The waffle machine is my new addition in the kitchen and I love it.  I like that it doesn't require so much attention like pancakes and no more flipping.  All I need to do is to add the batter in the centre, close the lid and allow it to cook until the light comes on to tell me it is ready.  Every Saturday I will make a large batch of waffles that is enough to last for the week.  This week, we added some freshly mashed strawberries and they were delicious!  My husband said he couldn't believe how strong of a strawberry flavour that little piece of waffle could contain.  To serve, we always use maple syrup, but feel free to use other substitute.

INGREDIENTS:

6 Strawberries, mashed

2 Eggs, beaten

1/3 cup Butter, melted

2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Milk

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Pastry Flour

1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds

small pinch of salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and mashed strawberries until they are incorporated.

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients; mix well.  The batter should be very thick and gluey.

3. Heat up the waffle machine to medium heat.  Add two big spoonfuls of batter in the centre, and cook according to the machine indication.  Serve with maple syrup.

Lemon Brown Rice Salad

Do you often have extra brown rice in the fridge? I do because I tend to cook a larger pot for multiple recipes that call for day old rice, just like this one.  It is still delicious to use freshly cooked rice, but the day old one will give you a more al dente texture.  Adjust the lemon juice amount to suit your tastebuds.  This substantial salad is good to serve with pan fried fish.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups Indian Brown Basmati Rice, cooked

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cubed

1 handful Parsley, leaves and stems, finely chopped

DRESSING:

1/3 Lemon of juice

1 Lemon of zest

5 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1/3 teaspoon Salt

2 flat tablespoons Brown Sugar

DIRECTION:

1. In a large bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk well.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and then stir until they are well coated with the dressing.

Apple Waffles

In the previous post I mentioned that I make waffles every weekend for the upcoming week as breakfast.  And this week, I used the apples that we freshly picked from the orchard yesterday.  They were delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

3 Large Eggs, beaten

1/3 cup Butter, melted

1/4 cup Sunflower Seed Oil

1 cup Milk, 2%

3 tablespoons Vanilla Extract

1 cup Pastry Flour

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 tablespoons Cinnamon Powder

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Spice Powder

handful of Flaxseed (optional)

1/3 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, butter, vanilla extract, milk, and the oils together.

2. Add all the rest of the ingredients.  Mix until they are totally incorporated.  The batter should be very thick and sticky.

3. Heat up the waffle machine to medium heat.  Add two spoonfuls of batter in the centre and cook until it is done according to the machine indication.  Serve with maple syrup or chutney.