I mentioned in my
Spoonfuls of Spring post that I have a habit of hoarding certain food items.
Does anyone else have this addiction? A certain food that you ALWAYS buy whenever you go to the supermarket? Not because you need it but because you feel like you're suppose to have it! Despite the fact that you probably already have three boxes of it sitting in your pantry at home?
When I was in college, it was canned tomatoes and boxes of pasta. They were purchased EVERY TIME I went to the supermarket. As I have aged, my hoarding has become a bit more seasonal! For the fall, it's cans of pumpkin.
For winter, it's vegetable broth. Impluse purchases of excessive produce occur year round.
And then...there are grains. Yes, grains.
I have enough grains to keep a small cattle farm running for a year. Different kinds of grains, like millet, farro, barley, kasha, buckwheat, quinoa, bulgur....I
can keep going. I have so any grains that I actually have a separate storage place for my excess grain!
My sister refers to it as "The Brown Section," where she thinks everything is brown and taste like dirt.
I know, I know. You think this is strange. Who really wants to have that much grain?!
Apparently, Jerry does! He also has a separate storage place for his excess grain!
Ah, soulmates. In fact, his amount of grain is probably double what I have.
Anyone have any need for barley? Because we have three pounds of it!
With the move approaching, I realized that I needed to start using up some of this grain, simply so we can have space for everything else in our cupboards!
Lemon-Beet Millet Bowl
Ingredients
1/2 c millet, cooked
1 1/2 large beets, steamed and cubed
beet greens from 3 beets, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 -3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp oregano
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
5 basil leaves, ciffonade
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1.Steam beets until fork tender, putting the beet greens to the side for later use.
2. Cook millet according to package.
3. Once beets and millet are done cooking, begin to saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
4. Add in oregano and cook until fragrant (1 - 2 minutes). Then, saute beet greens until wilted.
5. Add in millet, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Have the beets be the last thing you add as it will turn your into meal pink.
6. Add beets and toss quickly, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Indian-Inspired Kitchen Sink Soup
This recipe was created on a whim in order to use up whatever veggies I had in my fridge and some of the red lentils I had in my cupboard. Yes, because Jerry has a crapton of red lentils too!
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery sticks, cleaned and sliced
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
4 smallish Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 c red lentils
4 tbsp golden flax seed
(this is Jerry's influence)
2 1/2 tsp madras curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tikka masala
2 to 2 1/2 cups of veggie broth
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. Begin by sauteing onions through red pepper in olive oil. As the veggies begin to cook down, add garlic and potatoes.
2. Add red lentils, flax seeds, and spices. Saute for a few minutes then add broth (or water).
3. Allow soup to come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until lentils are cooked through.
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