Bulgur Pilaf with Moraccan Roast Chicken, pg. 152

The moroccan spice rub in this recipe (Fresh Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, Cardamom and Cayenne) is awesome!  It smells amazing and totally evokes a flavor that must be what Moracco tastes like!?!  The chicken is coated in this sauce and roasted with lemons and prunes, then served with a tasty pilaf made with Bulgur...very creative combination!

Did you know that Pilaf is a method of cooking, not a specific recipe or only rice based (although usually).  We studied pilaf in my 1st quarter of Culinary School.  Every day of the school period, we made pilaf...yes, for 10 straight weeks! and every new quarter that starts, there is a new 1st quarter class that will also learn the pilaf method, so we are always tasting and trying new pilaf.  Never once has someone made it without rice.  So, I found this intriguing.

Ok, on to what I wanted to explain, the Pilaf method.  Starting with some kind of fat (oil or butter), add your aromatics (onions, other veggies, etc.) and sweat them in the fat...by sweating them, you're emitting the flavor of the onion into the fat your cooking with.  Then, stir in your grain (rice, bulgur, etc...be creative!) and make sure to coat every grain with the fat and "toasting" the grain a little.  Then add a flavorful liquid (stock, or water with herbs and spices) and bring to a simmer...you can add it hot, so it comes up to temp quicker.  Add a little bit of salt, but not too much.  As the grain absorbs your liquid, if it's too salty, you'll concentrate that flavor. Then cover and let it simmer, not boil, for however long it takes to cook your grain.  White rice & bulgur are about 20-25 minutes, brown rice is closer to 50.  You can also finish it in the oven at 325 if you have an oven safe pot.  Check it when you think it should be done to make sure the grain is cooked all the way through, and season to taste.  Add fresh herbs, toasted nut, etc.  Amazing dish every time.
Go and be creative with your cooking!  Here's a photo of the above mentioned recipe!...err never mind for now... issues with upload.  -Vicki

15 recipes down!  Moraccan Roast Chicken will be a family favorite, even Mr. Ben agrees.  As for the pilaf, I needed to figure out a plan for the leftovers.  The following day, I put a slab of round roast in crockpot and shredded the beef.  I added mango peach salsa to the bulgar pilaf and warmed it up.  The salsa bulgar, steak, fresh mozzarella balls (small), and salad were layered on warm wheat tortilla shells.  Whooolaaaa another grain girl meal! -amy

Chinese Black Rise, Orange, and Avacodo Salad, pg. 131

I made this recipe with Amanda over for dinner the other night.  She has a very optimistic attitude about trying new recipes and openly dislikes bland food...so she's a great grain critic!  We amped up the recipe with additional chili powder and some cumin cooked in with the rice.  Overall the recipe was quite refreshing and a plesant blend of flavors.  Creamy avocado and sweet, citrus of orange mixed in with the rice provided lots of texture and flavors.

Somehow the rice I cooked didn't become as red as Amy's picture shows below, but instead made the mixed a not so beautiful shade of charcoal black.  We discussed afterward that it would be beautiful if plated as a layered salad with torn lettuce topped with the rice and then the avocados and oranges.  Even with the additional spices we added, it needed more flavor.  I think if you mixed up a great vinaigrette dressing and tossed the rice in it, that would be amazing.  Overall, I love the idea of the cool rice salad and think the "Forbidden black rice" is a gorgeous grain I'll definitely use again.  Thanks for this concept Lorna :)
Amy, I love the photo website...and yes, hopefully we'll get on there!  -Vicki



In the mix: Chinese Black Rice + diced oranges + toasted pumpkin seeds + avacodo + lettuce

The perfect snack before an evening yoga class.

After preparing these lettuce wraps, I attempted to set the mood in the kitchen by taking a large bite and saying "YUUMMM, these are soooooo good!"  Failed attempt.  Ben took a bite and in an instant uproar quickly replied, "How are these soooo good?"  He told me to never make these again unless there is no other food.  Between eating vegan once a week and this whole grain girls idea, I think it's taking a toll on him!

Husband Rating: 1/5 Grains

Check out the following site Elizabeth told me about foodgawker.com   Goal: Before Vicki & and I cook through all 150 recipes, one of our pics will be published on this site....get snapping girl!

Farro with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil, pg. 173

Hopefully it's ok to post one of Lorna's recipes.  I think every now and then she won't mind!  

Farro with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil - Lorna Sass

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove garilic, minced (I used 2 cloves)

6 large plum tomoatoes, finely chopped (I used Roma's)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I dumped around 3 tablespoons)

4 cups of COOKED basic farro (use barley if you can't find farro)

1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil - packed

salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:  Heat oil in a large skillet and add the garlic.  Stir for 30 seconds.  Add in the tomatoes, vinegar, and oregano, cook for 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked farro and season with salt and pepper.  When the farro is hot, turn off the heat and stir in the basil.  Garnish with cheese.

I broke the number one rule and didn't use a grain!  I searched several stores in the valley and could not find farro.  No one even knew what it was when I asked.  I put organic orzo pasta in my cart and decided to go with it! I should've read the note where barley can be substituted for farro. 

What a simple dish full of flavor!  Ben loved the taste and took the leftovers for lunch the next day.     

 Husband Rating: 4/5 Grains   -amy

Last week I cooked the Farro for this recipe with full attention to cook it in the same day, but of course other things came up.  So tonight, when I needed to make a quick dinner, this was perfect.  The recipe came together in less than 15 minutes and tasted amazing!  I'm not sure where the big difference is from other red sauces I've made in the past, but the flavor in this sauce is unique and powerful.  I'm guessing it's the balsamic vinegar?!
It is March, and almost no veggies are in season locally right now, especially not tomatoes.  Instead of paying $4-5/lb for unripe tomatoes, I picked up 1 small organic can of whole tomatoes.  As far as cost goes, this dish is probably the lowest price recipe we've cooked yet...here's how mine breaks out:

$1.69-Canned Tomatoes
$1.50-Basil (I bought more, but didn't use all of it...so this is for about 1/3 of the pack)
$1.50-Farro...have we mentioned whole, dry grains are super cheap!?!
$2-Balsamic Vinegar, Dried Oregano (approximate guess)
Total: $6.69
This will feed me for at least 3 meals which is a great price for super healthy and homemade.
If you're reading this and waiting for a recipe to make...this is definitely one to try.  Go for the Farro and do it...You won't regret it! -Vicki

Saffron-Basmati Rice with Chicken in Garam Masala Sauce, pg. 180

About thyme!! By far the most impressive dish so far.  This Indian inpired dinner was so simple yet rich in flavor. Let's first talk about the rice...Brown Basmati + chopped pistachio nutes + saffron threads = the pefect combination.  I will admit I was too cheap to buy the "real" saffron spice for $15.99/jar.  Instead, I stopped at the local Asian grocer to see if I could subsitute.  The gentleman told me they researched saffron after many requests and now sell a spice called Safflower for $.69.  Perfect....I didn't know the difference since I've never cooked with the real deal.

Let's move on to the sauce, coconut milk + 1 can of diced tomatoes + chicken broth + garam masala + fresh ginger, onion, and cilantro = delicious.  Anything coconut flavor I usually avoid.  In tonight's dish, I fell in love with the suttle sweetness.  Instead of garam masala, I used a cashew and cream gourmet Indian cooking sauce found at my new favorite market called Liberty Heights. LibertyHeightsFresh.com

Husband Rating: 4.5/5 grains!!  Ben thought the sauce was outstanding with a well round texture and flavor.  He said having whole cashews and pineapple would have made it even better.  He's just copying ingredients from his favorite Thai dish.    -amy


Once again...Nice Photos Amy!! And you said you weren't a good photographer...I love it!  Since my pictures make the chicken look less than exciting, I'll leave you with the ones above for a visual.  I too absolutely loved this dish! It is a great balance of flavors and textures.

When picking the recipe for this week's cooking, I chose a chicken dish knowing very well that I would be doing some knife skills practice on chickens with my classmate, Nikita.  At the end of this quarter, we'll be expected to break down a chicken into 8 lovely pieces, including some de-boning, in under 9 minutes.  Considering that 2 months ago I was terrified of cutting apart a raw carcass of meat, I feel this is quite a challenge.  Niki and I got through 5 chickens that night and took all the chicken tenders for this dish.  Then we set out to cook the recipe...I realized halfway through that I didn't have any pistachios on hand like I'd thought, so we replaced with a can of chickpeas that were in my cupboard and it was a great switch. (Nikita's idea :).  We both thought the sauce could have reduced down further and become creamier if we'd let it meld for longer, but it was still deliciously flavored.

I haven't heard of the Safflower as a substitute for Saffron, so I'll look into that one & try it.  I managed to find a small portion for $5 of the real stuff that I went with, but I'm definitely up for a cheap swap-out!  We are doing more chicken cutting practice tomorrow, so I'll try to remember to take photos this time of what it takes to break down chickens! I spent all of last week in school on the "butcher station"...much more familiar with large pieces of meat and letting go of my discomfort with the whole practice.  Happy Cooking!
-Vicki