THREE-GRAIN PILAF

1/ 2 cup whole barley
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp. butter
1/ 2 lb. fresh mushrooms , sliced
3/ 4 tsp. lemon juice
1 large egg
3/ 4 cup kasha (toasted buckwheat groats)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
3/ 4 cup long-grain white rice
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth or stock (can use vegetable broth)
1/ 4 chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper

Put the barley in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let soak for 1 to 1 1/ 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over moderately high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until browned. If the pan seems too dry, add a Tbs. of water to encourage the cooking. The mushrooms will be dry at first but then release their juices. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice; reserve.

In a small bowl, stir the egg with a fork. Stir in the kasha until coated and then dump into the pan you just used. Stir constantly over moderately high heat until dry and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn out onto a plate and reserve.

Spoon the vegetable oil into the same pan and stir in the white rice. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the drained barley, kasha and mushrooms to the pan. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring, over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer, stirring gently once or twice, until the grains are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Makes 10 servings of slightly under 1 cup each.

The potential problem with a vegetarian diet is that, with the exception of soy, individual vegetables do not supply complete proteins. One of more of the essential amino acids is always missing.

However, there is an easy cop out. Any combination of a bean and a grain will provide the same complete protein as is found in meat. So all you have to do is assure that there's one such combo; either as the main dish or as a side.

You don't have to physically combine them. Just so you eat both.

Thus, you could have Ruthana's pilaf (which sounds great, btw) but you should have a bean dish to accompany it.

A new book you might find helpful is Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Cooking," which is a good introduction to cooking with whole foods. Trust me, this is not your grandmother's vegetarian cookbook. Her introductory chapter on building a natural foods pantry is worth the purchase price alone.

Here's one example of a beans/grains dish you might like. Just leave out the bacon if it doesn't appeal:

Black-Eyed Pea & Millet Medley

4 cups cooked millet
2 cups black-eyed peas, cooked
6 strips bacon, cooked
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup white cabbage, chopped fine
2 1/2 cups whole canned tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbls ghee or melted butter
1 1/2 tsp flavored salt sub (i.e., Spike, Mrs Dash, etc.)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup grated cheese

Coat a large skillet with the oil and saute onions and garlic until soft. Add cabbage & celery, sauteeing until tender. Stir in tomatoes, black-eyed peas, seasonings, and half the parsley. Let simmer a bit to meld flavors. Add ghee and millet to pan and toss all together. Heat through.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, if using, remaining parsley, and grated cheese.

108 calories
8 g fat (5 grams of that is saturated)
31 g cholesterol
52 g sodium
2 g carbohydrates
7 g protein

I just made this today. It was fast, simple, looked pretty, and tasted very good even though my tomatoes were not the best (alas, wrong season LOL).

Slice a whole tomato, and cut each slice into 4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on some minced red onion. Place a dollop of ricotta on each piece. Use a good, fresh ricotta cheese (no fillers or gums or anything for the best results). The best I can get is bought by the pound at a gourmet deli. If you like, tear up a few basil leaves and distribute among the tomato pieces.

This can be served as a light lunch, a salad course, or a cold side dish to a meal. I had it for lunch with some red bell pepper strips and two slices of roast turkey.

3 c. chopped onion
2-1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
1-1/2 c. chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 T. molasses
1-1/2 t. dried basil
1-1/2 t. dried oregano
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 T. olive oil
2 (15.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, undrained
1 (28-ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
2/3 c. cashews, coarsely chopped

1. Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; saute 8 minutes or until tender. Add vinegar mixture, kidney beans, tomatoes, and pinto beans; cook 20 minutes, stirring often. Discard bay leaf. Stir in cashews. Yield: 7 servings (1-1/2 c. per serving).

Calories: 350 (28% from fat)
Fat: 10.9 g (sat. 1.9 g, mono 6.6g, poly 1.7g)
Protein: 15.6g
Carb: 51.7g
Fiber: 13.4g
Chol.: 0mg
Iron: 5.3 mg
Sodium: 882 mg
Calcium: 178 mg

* Exported from MasterCook *

Rice Stuffed Green Peppers

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Vegetarian

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 large sweet green peppers
1/4 cup oil
1 small onion -- finely chopped
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped nuts -- (we like cashews)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups cooked brown rice
salt -- to taste
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese -- or cheddar

Cut slice off top of pepper and remove seeds and membrane. Chop usable trimmings.

Saute onion in oil until tender. Add chopped green pepper, celery and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes.

Stir in nuts cheddar cheese rice and salt. Stuff peppers with mixture and set in oiled baking dish. Sprinkle tops with 3 tablespoons cheese.

Pour 1/2" water in baking pan. Bake at 375F for 35-35 minutes or until tender.

Source:
"New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 331 Calories; 19g Fat (48.9% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 12mg Cholesterol; 127mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 3 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0