Barley & Millet Risotto

Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice that is traditionally used to make risotto. When cooked, the grains become creamy and chewy - perfect for a comforting dish like risotto. Here, instead of using the traditional arborio rice, I used barley, which still creates that creamy, chewy texture, but is a bit more wholesome. The addition of a little millet to this risotto is also nice - for added nutrition, texture, and flavor. This risotto makes for a lovely lunch or a nice side dish for dinner.

Risotto can be adapted a million different ways. The version I have pictured includes some quartered cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds, a bit of fresh oregano, and a drizzle of olive oil. You can use this risotto recipe as a springboard for all kinds of flavor combinations. I have included a few of my own ideas in the recipe below, but definitely experiment. And if you do, let me know what you like!

Notes: If you'd like to make this a full meal that is a little more substantial, you might try some grilled chicken or a fried egg on top. If you are lucky enough to find it, farro is a great and delicious substitution to the barley, but both work equally well.

Adapted from 101 cookbooks


This post linked to The Nourishing Gourmet

Millet Muffins

Christmas presents arriving in the mail yesterday are good things. "Um. Isn't it April, Brooke?" Well, yes. Yes it is April. But you see... I got a gift card for Amazon for Christmas. Of course I knew exactly what I would use it for - cookbooks. And of course I knew that one of those cookbooks would be Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day, set to be published in April 2011. See where I'm going with this whole Christmas-in-April thing? Uh-huh.

Well, the book finally (!!!) arrived. I completely love Heidi's first book, Super Natural Cooking, and have made many of the lovely recipes therein. Heidi is the author and creator of one of my very favorite culinary blogs. In fact, her site was the first to inspire me in this wide world of food blogging. Anyway, I absolutely love her style and approach to cooking. She and I have very similar taste and her photos and recipes continually inspire me.

These muffins were the first I made from Heidi's new book. They are the perfectly honey-kissed, lemon-scented, and just a little nutty from the millet. They come together quickly and are a wonderful morning breakfast. Be sure to serve them warm from the oven with plenty of salted butter.

Notes: I made no changes to these muffins. They are beautiful the way they are. I did half the recipe, which worked perfectly and made exactly 6 muffins. They store well in an air-tight container for a couple of days or will freeze well if sealed in a plastic freezer bag.

Adapted from Super Natural Everyday, by Heidi Swanson

Grain & Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Kim Boyce is pretty much amazing. She came out with a stunning cookbook last year and it's all I could do to not make every single recipe in it as soon as I received it the mail. I've been practicing restraint and am slowly making my way through her lovely recipes. So far, every one has been stellar - just my kind of thing. Unique, yet familiar. Comforting, yet indulgent.

So here I present to you a beautiful, perfect sandwich bread. This bread has a wonderful flavor - a little nuttiness from the oats, a hint of sweetness from the molasses, and the goodness that only comes from freshly-ground whole wheat flour.

It's Breakfast when lightly toasted with a fried egg on top. It's Snack when smothered with a little crunchy peanut butter. It's Lunch when toasted and smeared with some mayonnaise and mustard, then topped with an avocado smashed with lemon juice and salt. And it's Dessert fresh from the oven, slathered in butter and drizzled with local honey.

Basically, it's wonderful any way, any time of day.

Notes: For the grains in this bread, I use a combination of sunflower seeds, quinoa, amaranth, poppy seeds, etc. Just throw in anything you've got lying around, or use an additional 1/2 cup oats, as in the original recipe.

Adapted from Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce

This post linked to Real Food Wednesdays