Fail Not, Risotto

I almost had my first cooking FAIL, but alas the recipe survived.

Tonight I made another Weight Watchers recipe, Barley-Asparagus "Risotto" with Balsamic Vinegar. The FAIL almost came because the recipe calls for quick-cooking pearl variety barley, but I seemed to have bought regular pearl variety barley, photo at right. Didn't notice the difference until I had the pot simmering, went to take it off and it was still full of broth and uncooked barley, sigh. It all worked out though, I just let the pot simmer for another hour (yikes!). The only part that was negatively affected were the onions that cooked for way toooooo long. In any event, below are the ingredients and directions and any changes I made.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup uncooked barley, use quick-cooking pearl variety
3 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth (I obviously used veg broth)
1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup chives, fresh, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese [I didn't add cheese]
* I did, however, add about 1/2 cup chopped red pepper

Directions:
Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in barley an cook, stirring, about 1 minutes more.

Add broth, cover, and simmer over low heat for 8 minutes. Stir in asparagus and simmer 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir in chives and vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Yields about 1 cup per serving, makes about 6 servings. 3 pts/serving in WW world.

Barley & Onion, before I realized my mistake in barley type, and Asparagus, Red Pepper, & Chives

My thoughts... I didn't use any Parmesan and it probably would've helped. I also wish I would have chopped the asparagus smaller, 2 inch pieces was too big to me. The end result was good, not great. The consistency ended up being nice, but the flavor was missing something. I think had the onions not been over cooked, thus soft and flavorless, and had I used cheese it would've been much better. But I mean, I obviously still ate it. The end result, in pan and plate!

Step Away From the Microwave!

So this doesn't really count for my resolution, but because it's one step closer to me being familiar in the kitchen I figured I would share.

I love Trader Joe's products, all of them! Tonight for dinner I made their brand of vegetable fried rice (it's a frozen product) and spruced it up. Now the pre-2010 Laura would've just followed the microwave directions because well that's easier and much faster. However, keeping my resolution in mind I decided to follow the stove top directions AND add in my own stuff. So below are the ingredients and directions to this oh so simple, yet oh so delicious dinner.

1 cup Trader Joe's frozen vegetable fried rice
chopped red pepper (hmm let's say a 1/2 c)
chopped onion (maybe a 1/4 c)
broccoli slaw (~ 1/2 c)
5-10 grape tomatoes cut in half length wise
1/4 an avocado
soy sauce
chili powder
chopped chives
salt and pepper

Toss vegetables into frying pan, add rice, and seasoning and soy sauce.
Stir around till rice is thoroughly cooked. Topped with sliced avocado.

TA DA!

And for those in Weight Watchers world 1 cup of the rice is 3 pts, avocado is 2 pts, and the rest is free! Total of 5 pts and very filling!

Soup for the Soul

Kicking off my resolution in high gear... on Sunday, January 3 I made vegetable soup. Adding the facts that I don't eat meat and Chicago temps are brutally cold right now, this seemed like the perfect way to start my resolution.

The recipe is from Weight Watchers, but I think it's safe to say that it's favorable to anyone! The exact recipe is below, but ingredients which I did not use are in [ ] and anything I added is noted. So here you go, a truly hearty and healthy soup to warm the soul.

Zero Point Vegetable Soup (Servings - 12)

1 medium onion(s), diced

2 medium carrot(s), diced

1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced

1 medium stalk(s) celery, diced

2 small zucchini, diced

2 cup(s) green cabbage, shredded

[2 cup(s) Swiss chard, chopped] instead I added 1 cup white mushrooms, diced

2 cup(s) cauliflower, small florets

2 cup(s) broccoli, small florets

[2 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped]

6 cup(s) vegetable broth

2 Tbsp parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional (from WeightWatchers.com) Instructions: Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Onward 2010 With A Resolution!

This feels oddly similar to "Julia and Julia," but I swear it's not. You see, I am by no means a cook, chef, baker, or any sort of master in the kitchen. Cooking for me generally includes boiling some noodles, popping something in the microwave, or swapping cash for food at a local cafe. However, I've found over the past few months that I've been engrossed by reading and subsequently searching for new recipes. I had no intention of making them, I just enjoyed finding them! But alas, here I am.

In lieu of a "traditional" New Year's resolution this year, here is mine... To cook at least 1 new recipe* every 2 weeks. I tried to make it every week, but let's be realistic. This blog will serve the purpose of documenting said recipes and hopefully keep me on track to follow this resolution. I don't want to become an old wife who cannot cook for the life of her, so through trial and error here goes nothing! And by December 31, 2010 may there be at least 26 recipe posts here!

*Don't expect to see any meaty recipes (I don't eat beef or chicken) or many recipes that will clog your arteries. With the exception of mac 'n cheese (because several different recipes will likely be made through out the year), if I'm going to take the time, effort, and patience to actually cook something than it's not going to be something that will make me feel ill immediately following consumption. Mmmmm...