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.

Corn Salad with Hazelnuts, Pecorino, and Mint

This corn salad from Bon Appetit was a huge hit last weekend when Sarah was in town. Sadly, it takes quite a bit of prep (blanching the hazelnuts?!). I would probably double it next time I make it, and just cook the corn inside instead of the grill. Chopping the mint and tarragon takes some time, but it really is a delicious side dish.

(no photo :()

Ricotta and Spinach Frittata With Mint

This recipe from the NYT is simple, fast, pretty healthy and tasty. I would add more mint as I didn't taste it at all. I also didn't steam the spinach but used fresh spinach, and a lot less of it. This is not a culinary masterpiece, but good to keep in mind when you need something easy and relatively healthy.