Slow-Roasted Salmon with Fennel, Citrus, and Chiles

This salmon recipe from Bon App was a hit at our house! Easy to prepare and is ready in about 35 minutes, great for weeknights. It's so light I would consider making a heavy side dish, not just rice and salad as I did. (Salmon deliberately omitted from photo as the rest of the dish was so gorgeous)

Halibut Confit With Leeks, Coriander, and Lemon

This halibut dish was a stunner this summer, and easy to prepare. Simple and elegant, I'm going to make again soon!

Herby Barley Salad with Butter-Basted Mushrooms

I was looking through Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving 2015 magazine to look for inspiration for 2016. This Barley salad was awesome, everyone here agreed. Our mom apparently loves barley, and thought this (vegetarian, oh my!) was a great side dish.

Of course the mushrooms alone can cost a fortune (I used oyster and chanterelle, and highly recommend), and the herbs take a bit of time to tear up, so it's not going to be your week night staple. But when you have the time, it's a fantastic hearty, fall side. 

Vegan Banana Bread

I have been trying to diversify what we feed Mr. W, and first started with some spinach-laced baked goods. Those were not well received.

I made this pumpkin bread from Smitten Kitchen, but it has 1 and 2/3 cups of sugar! Way too much. Of course it was amazing.

Sarah told me about this vegan banana bread, which of course elicits eye-rolls and noses being turned up. But it was surprisingly good! I used regular sugar instead of coconut sugar, but otherwise stuck to the recipe easily. Mimi had some white chocolate chips that expired only one year ago, so I threw a few on top. I went out of town and this was gone in about 2 days flat. Highly recommend.

Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds, Brown Butter, and Lime

A lot of people grunt and moan about Cauliflower, but once you roast it properly, it can take on the world!

This version from Bon Appetit is pretty simple and very rewarding. Everyone on Leyden ate this up! This is also easy, without too many ingredients or steps. 

Farro and Tomato Salad with Fish-Sauce Vinaigrette

This  Farro and Tomato Salad with Fish-Sauce Vinaigrette tasted differently than expected, and was liked by all. I recommend using a lot of green onions, and keep them pretty long, I cut mine too short.

(stollen photo)

GRILLED PORTOBELLO AND FARRO SALAD

I was looking for a new farro recipe to eat with a spicy shrimp dish, instead of nutritionally-void rice. I came across this one from epicurious and we all loved it. The grilled portobello mushrooms were a great treat. Next time I might add a dry cheese in, and definitely cut back on the 7 tablespoons of oil, it seemed a bit much. Great recipe.