Bring a healthy appetite

After I finished reading "Food Matters" by Mark Bittman last week, I've had a renewed interest in eating even healthier by adding more vegetables and grains to our diet. "Let's come up with ways to add more greens to our diet", said hubby just a couple days. "Funny you should say that. That's exactly what I'm thinking." Needless to say, I highly recommend reading this book.

So here's my first start. I bought mustard greens and green beans. With a recently discovered appreciation for barley, I just had to create something that involved at least all three. I've never cooked mustard greens before so I took a peek at Mark Bittman's "How to cook everything" to see if it requires special preparation. It became clear to me that I could cook it the same way I would other leafy greens such as spinach.

Unlike baking, when I cook, I eyeball most of my ingredients. Below I've tried to estimate the amounts I've used. I'd like to hear from you if you decide to try this recipe :o)



Mustard Greens with Barley and Oven-Roasted Veggies
My original recipe

Ingredients and instructions:
Barley
• 1.5-2 cups pearled barley, rinsed
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• enough water to cover barley 1 inch
Cook barley in partially covered pan until cooked to your liking. This will take approximately 45 minutes. If the water has evaporated but the grains aren't fully cooked yet, add a little bit of hot water. You should not need to drain the barley.

Mustard Greens
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 bunch mustard greens, washed, chopped (stems removed)
• 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
Fry the onion in the oil until soft and caramelized. Add ginger paste and garlic. Stir until fragrant. Add spices and stir. Add mustard greens in 2 batches. Add second batch after the first batch is wilted. Cover pan and lower heat. In the meantime, clean the shrimp. When the greens are tender, add the shrimp.

Oven-Roasted Veggies
• 1 pound green beans, washed, ends cut
• 4 carrots, peeled, cut on the bias
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix everything together in a big bowl. Cover large baking sheet with aluminum foil, preferably non-stick aluminum foil (otherwise spray it with cooking spray). Pick up the (marinated) veggies from the bowl and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the veggies are fork tender.

Assembly
Wash the barley with cold water to wash away some of the starch and separate the grains. Add the cooked barley to the cooked mustard greens (and shrimp, if using). Stir to reheat the barley. Serve the oven-roasted veggies with a nice portion of the barley-mustard greens. Bon appetit!



This recipe has been sent to Original Recipes @ Culinarty for Lore's event.