Herbed Pomegranate Barley Salad

This post is once again in thanks to Bon Appetit. I was going through their spread on alternatives to Thanksgiving sides and found their twist on the classic cranberry sauce pretty intriguing. They suggested using pomegranates instead of cranberries, which is the perfect alternative since Ty hates cranberries. I couldn't wait for Thanksgiving to try their pomegranate-mint relish recipe so I incorporated it into a seasonal herbed barley salad. By the way, this was my first time deseeding a pomegranate. In fact, I had never seen a pomegranate until I had to buy one for this recipe. The best recommendation I have for anyone dealing with pomegranates is make sure you're wearing clothes that can get dirty because pomegranate stains. You will get messy! It's so worth it though. Here's an image tutorial on how to deseed a pomegranate.

Pomegranate Fruit

Step 1: Slice crown end and discard

Step 2: Score the rind around the pomegranate, but do not cut too deep. You don't want to "pop" any seeds.

Step 3: Remove the seeds from the rind in a large bowl of water. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Separate and drain.

Step 5: Now you have seeds!

And finally, on to the salad!

What you'll need:

1 cup barley (couscous, orzo, etc. are all great options)
3 cups of water (you can use stock)
Pomegranate seeds (1 pomegranate is enough)
1 chopped orange pepper
1 chopped shallot
Handful of mint
Handful of cilantro
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil

A dash of salt and pepper

 Directions:
1. Cook the barley. Per 1 cup of barley, use 3 cups of water or stock. Simmer for 30-40 minutes on low heat. Set aside and let cool down.

 2. Deseed your pomegranate and prepare your herbs and vegetables.
 3. Mix chopped orange pepper, pomegranate seeds, herbs, lemon juice, and oil in big bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

 4. Once barley is cooled down, mix together and refrigerate. Serve once cooled down. 

Potato and Leek Au Gratin

It boggles my mind that it's already fall, the leaves are changing, and we're already seeing Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas decorations in the stores! I guess it's time to say goodbye to those summer skirts and say hello to those sweaters and stockings packed away. To celebrate the first day of October (and the furlough, thanks Congress!), Ty and I made a wickedly awesome potato and leek au gratin. Ty's been going to the local farmer's market every Saturday (yay for local!) and got a really great deal on some leeks this past weekend.

I scrubbed the internet for a bunch of leek recipes, but decided to make something with whatever Ty and I already had. Luckily, potatoes and leeks are one of those classic combinations so we went with the au gratin. Who can say no to a scrumptious, cheesy au gratin? So that's what we did and finished it off with some delicious chocolate blackberry cream pie from Whole Food's. A perfect way to start the fall and the first day of furlough!

Here's how we made it!

4 yellow potatoes
5 stocks of leeks
3 stocks of thyme
1 cup of parmesan cheese or any cheese you have in the house
1 egg
1/2 cup of 1% milk* or cream
salt/pepper
avocado oil*, olive oil, or butter

* = Healthier options and always the better choice

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Peel potatoes and slice into thin circular slices about 1/8 inch wide. Use a mandolin if you have one. Once sliced, place potatoes in a bowl of really cold water to keep it from turning brown.

2. As that's sitting, put a tsp of avocado oil (my new obsession) in a frying pan and sautee your leeks over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Coat a deep baking dish with the avocado oil (avocado oil has a very high smoking point meaning it won't burn and it's healthier for you)
4. Start placing your layers and repeat until you are rimmed to the top! I wouldn't add anymore salt since cheese has so much sodium, but if that floats your boat, by all means.

• Layer 1: Potatoes
• Layer 2: Leeks and Thyme leaves
• Layer 3: Cheese (top layer should always be cheese to get the crispy golden brown!)

5. Mix the milk or cream with the egg and pour all over. This gives it the rich decadent feel.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Serve with lots of extra grated cheese for people to add as topping. So good!!

And here's a pic of the awesome chocolate cream pie we had for dessert. Thank you Whole Foods!

Taiwan: Part 7

We ended our trip with a hike through one of Taiwan's most beautiful mountains and an early morning Tai Chi session with grandma and her friends. Even my grandma's dog, Gui-Gui (which means obedient in Chinese) joined us! It was the perfect way to end our trip to Taiwan.

 

A trip to Taiwan is not complete without a trip to Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung is famous for their soup dumplings (小笼包 pronounced xiao long bao), which is a steamed dumpling with a savory broth on the inside. You eat it carefully with slices of ginger and dipped in a vinegar, soy sauce. Din Tai Fung also serves classic Taiwanese dishes that are just amazing. You must go if you go to Taiwan.

Soup Dumplings

How you eat soup dumplings! Make sure you eat it whole. You don't want the broth to leak out. Be very gentle when you take the dumpling out of the steamer and place it on the spoon.

Soft tofu with black fungus and lima beans

(Super) drunk chicken

Chive dumplings in hot chili oil

Red bean sticky rice with sweetened dried fruit. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Hope you enjoyed Taiwan, even if just through pictures!

Taiwan: Part 4

We started another day in Taiwan with a visit to the Chiang Kai Shek memorial. No food, but still very worth sharing!

Afterwards, we headed over to a restaurant that serves modernized Taiwanese classics and I have to say, I was very impressed. It really does a great job elevating those traditional Taiwanese dishes, while still keeping those classic flavors. We got so many dishes: noodles with meat sauce, rice with meat sauce, fried tofu with chives, grilled milk fish, and fried baby oysters. Simply a wonderful meal.

Later that night, we enjoyed a homemade meal of hot pot, which is one of my favorite things of all time. Hot pot is exactly that; it's a hot pot with a delicious broth where we throw vegetables, meats, and all sorts of treats. Everyone picks from the hot pot so make sure you claim a good spot close to the pot, otherwise, you'll be out of luck! And make sure you prepare a great bowl of sauce. Use lots of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, chives, and hot pot sauce, and you're set!

Taiwan: Part 3

I'm on a roll today and playing catch up with all my posts. Here is Taiwan: Part 3!

We visited one of our favorite restaurants in Taiwan. We've gone to this restaurant since I was a little girl and it's still considered to be one of the best yi-mein restaurants in Taiwan. It serves a specialty Taiwanese noodle dish, that can be served either in broth or with a sweet and savory sauce. But that's not all. You can get a bunch of little dishes that are exquisite and uniquely Taiwanese. We got cow heart, duck liver, shark, roasted pork, green vegetables, and all sorts of other dishes. We also ended the meal with a flan on shaved ice and a red bean dessert with condensed milk. 

 

Next, we traveled to visit one of Taiwan's best restaurants that serves really good beef noodle soup (牛肉麵, pronounced niu rou mian). It had a killer beef broth, super tender strips of beef, and perfectly cooked noodles. We also ordered small dishes of pork belly with seaweed and tofu slices. A perfect meal to end the day.