Barley edamame soup

I haven't posted in quite a while!  I'm not abandoning the blog, but if the next 6 months are anything like the last one (and they probably will be), posting frequency will probably be somewhat similar as well.  My master plan is to finish up my PhD work by mid-May; this is commanding most of my attention right now.  That and pregnancy!  To make up for the lack of well though out recipes and nice pictures, I think I'm gonna try to post a weekly pregnancy (a.k.a. non-alcoholic) drink recipe because I've been getting pretty creative in that arena lately.  These aren't necessarily cocktail type drinks, but a variety of warm, cold, blended or whatever beverages.

But I did make a nice soup a few days ago - it disappeared before I could take a picture, but I wanted to share it anyway cause I think barley and edamame go great together.  Really the rest of the ingredients are optional, just use what you have.  Sauteeing them might bring out some more flavors, but this is so easy as is, it's really great as is.  The water used to cook the barley has a nice barley taste, so I just supplement that with some broth.

I made about 1.5 c. worth of dry barley (half a bag), and have been enjoying the leftovers for breakfast like oatmeal.  I've been mixing in (not necessarily all in one bowl) toasted pecans, maple syrup, chopped stewed prunes, craisins, diced apples, cinnamon, milk, All-bran cereal (bran buds)... yummy.  If you do this, you'll need to pour all the barley into a strainer and catch the barley water (you'll also need more water than I call for in the recipe); add about a cup of cooked barley and 1 - 1.5 c. barley water, then proceed with the recipe.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1/3 c. dry pearled barley
water to cover by about 2 inches
1 can chicken (or veggie) stock
1/2 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 c. frozen edamame (pre-shelled)
1/2 c. frozen spinach
1-2 t. soy sauce (to taste)
2 T. grated parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper

1.  Cover barley with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 35 minutes, or still al dente (should be edible, but it's going to cook a bit longer so doesn't need to be super soft.  Chop veggies while barley is cooking.
2.  Add in the stock, bring to a boil.
3.  Add in the carrots and onion.  Cook for 5 minutes, then add in the celery.  Cook for another 5 minutes (or more) till the veggies are tender.
4.  Add in the edamame and spinach, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. 
5.  Season with soy sauce, cheese, and pepper and serve.

When you're busy, what do you cook?

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I think I am done recovering from my dissertation proposal induced stress. I have a couple of backlogged recipes coming when I can write them up in the next day or too. But first a question or two.

Do you have go-to meals you make when you are busy/stressed? As much as I love experimental cooking and see it as a stress reliever, when I am really busy or stressed I find my mind doesn't seem to wander enough to want to try new things or make up new recipes. So I make old standbys. Which is really just fine, I don't think of this is a bad thing. And of course, they are quicker meals - pastas, egg-based dishes, salads.

I think my very favorite of this category is pasta with a few veggies (quick cooking, like spinach) and/or herbs, a good amount of olive oil (sometimes butter too), freshly grated parmesan or other hard cheese, maybe some lemon juice/zest if it's around, and a poached or fried egg on top. This also works with rice or potatoes.

What is your favorite 15-20 minute dinner that you make repeatedly? Please comment.

Spaghetti (squash) with smoked salmon and creamy tomato sauce

This is a quick and really tasty dinner. The sauce could be served over pasta instead of spaghetti squash. This is a little (okay a lot) like the recipe I wrote about here, but I think I like it better cause it's more filling due to the cream and fish. You might think smoked salmon in a sauce is weird, but the texture changes when heated. It goes from kind of slimy, salty, and soft to firm and flaky, like cooked fish; and the salty, smoky flavor is imparted on the rest of the sauce. It makes sense, since smoked salmon is essentially preserved, uncooked fish: if you heat it, it cooks and loses some of its juice.

I used a jar of tomatoes from MM Local, a small company in Boulder that cans local Colorado fruits (yes, tomatoes are fruits) in the height of the season and sells them all year long. They were awesome!

P.S. - I am very excited to have 6 followers - thanks guys! I apologize for the lack of pictures lately, I keep forgetting to pull out the camera. Usually, it's cause I'm hungry :)

Serve about 3

2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
a little bit of salt
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
16 oz. jar tomatoes, preferably MM Local tomatoes with basil (you could also use two small cans or 1 large can, it'll still taste good, maybe add a little more cream and/or double the salmon.)
3 oz. (one package) smoked salmon, roughly chopped
about 1/4 c. heavy cream, or to taste (could substitute half and half)
lots of freshly ground pepper
about 1/3 c. chopped fresh herbs, I used mostly parsley with some mint. Basil, rosemary, tarragon, thyme would all be nice. Maybe sage.
1 small package goat cheese for serving at the table

1 medium spaghetti squash (or in my case, 1/2 of an ENORMOUS spaghetti squash, yes, from the CSA)
1.5 T. butter

1. Heat oil in a non-reactive skillet over medium and cook onions with a pinch of salt (remember, a lot of salt will get into the sauce from the fish, so don't put in as much as you usually might), stirring occasionally.
2. Once the onions are starting to caramelize, add in the garlic. Stir for a minute, then add the tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes (like MM Local), break apart with your wooden spoon. Simmer over low heat for a while, about 15 minutes, or till tomatoes have lost some of their acidity.
3. Add in the salmon, cream, pepper (to taste) and a bit more than half of the chopped herbs. Stir for a minute, then kill the heat.

Meanwhile, while the tomatoes are cooking
4. If using spaghetti squash, slice in half, scoop out seeds and place cut sides down in a microwave safe casserole with 1/4 inch water. Microwave for at least 6 minutes, probably more. It's done when you pretty easily dig in with a fork to separate and pull out the strands. If using pasta, just cook according to the direction on the box.
5. Toss the spaghetti squash with the butter and the remaining chopped herbs. Butter is probably not necessary if using pasta.

6. Serve the sauce over the squash, and mix in some goat cheese at the table.

Because the world needs more food blogs...

I have created one. Actually, I probably could have graduated by now if food blogs didn't exist so I'm not sure why I'm adding to the problem. I blame Julie & Julia for spurring me to do this, even though I've been thinking about it for a while.
The real point of this is
1. To encourage me to write down recipes that I make. Most of the cooking I do is improvisational. I definitely cook from cookbooks too, but I usually find myself buying whatever looks good in the grocery store and working from that. Or more recently, basing my cooking on all the veggies that come in the CSA box. But anyway, sometimes my improvisational cooking is pretty good, so I might as well write down the recipes.
2. To share these recipes with friends and family... and I guess random people.
3. I think a lot about food, so I might put some thoughts down here. I also might repost links to my favorite postings in other places.