Butternut Goodness

It's a beautiful balmy day (31F with flurries) back home in northern Wisconsin. I've been lucky enough to have spent the past two and a half weeks on the road visiting friends and family from Pennsylvania to Arizona and many places in between. I've also had delicious food at every destination: tamales and chipotle black beans in Arizona, spicy peanut wrap and tasty Belgian beer in Pittsburgh, Lebanese food in Michigan, a hearty tofu scramble in Minneapolis, wild rice pilaf and vegan blueberry muffins in Duluth, and lots more!

What I've been most thankful for on this trip is time spent with family and friends (of course!). A few of the other luxuries of vacation include sleeping in as late as I want (and also setting the alarm for the time I normally wake up just so I can intentionally and joyously turn it off and roll back over into dreamland!), spending time with the family pup (including her joining me every time I practice yoga in the living room), and soaking in the sight of the blue beautiful horizon of Lake Superior. In the free time that winter break has provided, I've also been able to peruse the web for recipes. I ran across a couple of great vegan recipe sites:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/vegetarian/vegan/
http://www.101cookbooks.com/vegan_recipes/
http://www.bonappetit.com/ideas/vegan-christmas-recipes/search
http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/a-colorful-vegetarian-christmas/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/01/magazine/eat-vegan-recipes.html?ref=magazine

The recipe below jumped out to me because of its combination of roasted squash and cooked barley, both foods that I absolutely adore. The original recipe comes from the BBC's Good Food page (don't worry, I've done all the conversions!).

Roasted Squash and Barley Salad (Adapted from BBC Good Food)
Yields 8 servings

Most of the ingredients ... a few were still hiding out in the grocery bag. Sneaky, sneaky!

1 medium butternut squash (peeled, cut, and sliced into 3 inch strips)
1 tbsp. olive oil

Heat oven to 395F. Toss the squash with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place squash in preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then set aside.

1 1/4 c. pearled barley

Boil the barley in salted water until the grains have reached an al dente consistency, about 20-25 minutes. Drain and place in large mixing bowl.

2 c. broccoli florets

Steam the broccoli florets until they are bright green but still crisp.

5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt (or more to taste)

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, garlic and salt. Pour the dressing over the cooked barley in the mixing bowl.

1 c. cherry tomatoes (chopped)
1 small red onion (diced)
2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
15 kalamata olives (pitted and sliced)
3 tbsp. fresh basil leaves (chopped)

Add the tomatoes, onion, pumpkin seeds, olives, basil, and steamed broccoli to the barley. Stir to mix. Add squash to the mixture and stir gently, until just mixed.

Add salt of pepper to the salad for taste. This is a hearty salad and can be served, with a side of nuts and fruit, as an entree. Kidney beans or butter beans may also be a nice addition.

Enjoy!

Note: This recipe gets better as it sits in the fridge. We ate the salad after it marinated for 1 day and it was wonderful!