Barley Salad with Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

Barley has been used as foods for human and animals since ancient civilization, but also to make alcoholic beverages through malting. I remember reading from somewhere that Greek gladiators were fed barley prior to battle. They were hence also known as "eaters of barley". My wise husband thought that's probably because barley was dirt cheap.

As a type of whole-grain, barley has been shown to help in lowering blood cholesterol level, and stabilize blood glucose level, which may benefit diabetic. As a child growing up, I was always told to drink barley water during hot days. It was conceived as good for sore throat and fever. Apparently it has been used for its medicinal properties since ancient times by many cultures. Koreans for one consume barley tea the way Japanese do with green tea.

I made many changes to the recipe that I found; it just didn't taste right. I'm so glad I'm a more "mature" cook now or I would have been so lost. Firstly, something was missing in its vinaigrette recipe - I decided to add Dijon mustard and seasoned with salt and pepper. Instead of boiling barley with vegetable stock, I boiled it with plain water and seasoned with miso paste. I also substituted feta cheese with homemade labneh.

I'm proud to say that after all the changes, it earned me many "Mmmmm", "Wowww", and a "it feels like the right thing for the tummy" from my (one and only) loyal patron.

Ingredients:
(serves 2 as side dish)
1/4 barley
1 TB miso paste
1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
Homemade Labneh, crumbled
1/4 C Basil leaves, chopped
1/4 C Green onion, chopped

For the vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak barley in water for at least 1 hour. Drain.
   
2. Bring barley and 4 cups of water to boil, reduce heat and let cook until barley is tender but still firm to bite; about 30 minutes. Drain and stir in miso paste. Let cool completely.
   
3. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients and set in refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
4. Mix tomatoes, basil, green onions and labneh into cooked barley. Toss in vinaigrette to coat evenly. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.
   

Homemade Labneh

Labneh is a recipe from the old-world. It is basically salted, drained yogurt. Not only is it easy to make, but also easy to preserve - you can store them for months! You can eat it as it is, or mix in chopped garlic, fresh herbs, pepper flakes, or anything you would for herbed cheese. Or simply drizzle it with olive oil, some lemon juice and cumin and serve it as dip. Either way it is so delicious I think every household should have it as staple.

It would be really unwise to throw the drained liquid away. It's a natural component of cultured yogurt called whey. Whey contains some of the most important vitamins and minerals in yogurt. I keep it for use for soup and blend it into smoothie.

I used my homemade yogurt instead of Greek. Hence, it took me up to two nights to get the consistency of cottage cheese. It's kind of like draining it into Greek for the first night, and further transforming it into labneh for the second night. Remember the portion will be reduced by half after draining; if you are expecting 1 cup labneh, you may want to start with 3 cups yogurt.

Ingredients:
6 cups Greek Yogurt or Homemade Yogurt
2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Pour yogurt over a bowl and stir in salt.
2. Spoon the salted yogurt to the center of a piece clean cheesecloth. Pull and tie the corners tightly.
3. Suspend it from a stationary object over a bowl to catch liquid. Let it hang for 12 hours (or up to 2 days if you are using homemade yogurt). When done, yogurt will become cottage cheese-like.
4. Remove from the cloth. Store covered in refrigerator until needed.
   

Veggie Chickpea Burger

I have made this veggie burger many times now, with different ingredients every time. It never fails to impress - not so much about the recipe but the idea of serving it. Instead of sandwiching the veggie patty on burger bun, this brilliant idea turned the patty into bun by stuffing it with all sort of deliciousness. Some of the filling ideas: avocado, sprouts, onions, tomatoes, grilled vegetables, pesto, etc; let the world of culinary be your imagination!

I used chickpeas for the patty this time. Black Lentils, Black beans would work just as good. For the spread, I used saffron labneh. You can either buy from store or make your own. It's a kind of yogurt cheese Lebanese-style, or salted yogurt drained of whey.

Do you know that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world by weight? Its price varies from USD 500 to USD 5000 per pound. In the very beginning of my cooking adventure, I set out looking for saffron because I was totally mesmerized by its vividness in a lentil soup recipe. I was aghast by, but not entirely certain of, how expensive it was for content smaller than a matchbox.

Since I was a novice cook then, I didn't, and couldn't, think much outside the box. So I bought it. It sure serves as an impressive coloring with its golden yellow hue. It also imparts a metallic honey, hay-like aroma, with a transcendental subtlety of sweetness to taste.

I can't seem to find much notable nutritional value of saffron. Nevertheless, it's two active ingredients, crocin and safranal, have been shown to have antidepressant effects. Culturally, or traditionally, though,saffron has been valued for its, coloring and flavoring aside, medicinal properties. People apply it topically to improve skin condition and to treat acne. Internally, it is used to improve blood circulation, regulate menstruation, treat digestive disturbance, ease cough and asthmatic breathing, reduce fever and inflammation, calm nervousness and alleviate depression.

Since the olden days India, old ladies used to give the milk mixed with saffron for pregnant ladies so they can have fair beautiful babies. Others say it's for strong bones and smart baby.

In any case, I still have plenty of saffron thread left and I genuinely like the its vibrant color. So, let's get back to the saffron yogurt/ labneh:

Infuse approximately 10 threads of saffrons to 2 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Let seep for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup yogurt/ labneh. DONE. I also stir in some minced garlic for a more flavorful spread of labneh.

This is one of those great do-ahead dish; you may store them shaped, ready-to-cook in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 large patties)

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  
• 1 large eggs
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 onion, chopped
• lemon zest, grated
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
• avocado slices (optional)
• saffron-infused yogurt/ labneh (optional)
  
• 1/3 cup toasted whole-grain bread crumbs
• virgin coconut oil for frying
  

1. Combine the cooked lentils, egg, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture resembles a very thick, slightly chunky hummus.
   
2. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into two 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Alternately, a but of water or egg can be used to moisten the batter, giving it a more textured burger.
3. Heat the oil over medium low, add patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden.
   
4. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.