This recipe is a little more time consuming, as the stuffing can take a while to prepare. To save time, you could pre-cook the barely, or even make the stuffing in its entirety the day before. It’s worth the effort and the stuffing makes a great salad or lunch on its own. It is quite similar to a recipe I have published before, from Smitten Kitchen, for a Mediterranean barley salad. You could also substitute another grain – rice, quinoa or bulgar would all work here.
For some reason, I love to stuff vegetables. I’m not sure why I feel this way – it just seems like such a nice way to present a meal. I’ve used capsicums in this recipe, but you could easily stuff eggplants, tomatoes or zucchini. We ate these as a meal in themselves, but you could also prepare them in advance and serve with a protein – steak, fish, prawns, chicken – almost anything would work. They would also be a lovely, impressive-looking dish for a dinner party – and I know many of us probably have several of those in the upcoming weeks!
Details
15 min
65 min
1 h, 20 min
Ingredients
- 2 cups Stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 cup Pearl barley, soaked
- 1 Onion, diced
- Olive oil
- 1 small Eggplant, roughly chopped
- 2 medium Zucchini, roughly chopped
- 1/2 Red or green capsicum, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, diced finely
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Red chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Tumeric
- 1 cup Natural or Greek yoghurt
- large Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
- large Handful kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup Feta, crumbled
- Handful Parsley and mint, to taste
- 4 large Red capsicum, hollowed
Directions
- Preheat oven 180*.
- Cook your barley in the stock for 35-45 minutes until it is cooked through but still chewy. Add more water while cooking as necessary.
- Meanwhile, splash some olive oil in a large frypan and bring to medium heat.
- Cook your onion until it starts to become translucent, then throw in your eggplant, zucchini, capsicum and any other veges you want to add. Cook until they start to soften slightly.
- Add the garlic and stir briefly, then add your spices - I used cumin, coriander, oregano, tumeric and red chilli flakes.
- Stir well and cook until fragrant.
- Add the cooked barley to the pan, stir well and then add natural yoghurt.
- Finally, add your cherry tomatoes, olives, herbs (parsley and mint) and feta. Stir to combine.
- Stuff mixture into hollowed out capsicums. Sprinkle with a little more feta if desired.
- Cook on trays in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the capsicum starts to soften slightly. Serve as is, or with any leftover barley.
Well, the festive season has now drawn to a close and a new year commences. Have you made your resolutions yet? I’m not usually one for setting resolutions just because it’s a new year, but I am fond of having goals for myself. The year ahead promises to be a big one, with some major renovations and a wedding on the books already. I figure I need to treat my body well over the coming months, so it is well equipped to cope with the pressure. In this spirit, I’m going to offer up some slightly lighter meals in the coming months. Rest assured, there will still be plenty of desserts, as I’m not one to deprive myself.
In the spirit of health, I present this recipe for a roasted vegetable salad. It’s a bit heartier than your average salad, which is exactly what I like! You can have as a side if you wish, but we enjoyed it as a main meal on New Year’s Day. I try to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables from day-to-day, but I noticed a decrease in my intake over the holidays. What better way to start the new year than with 7 serves of vegetables in one dish (well 5, if you don’t count potato and sweet potato).
Disclaimer – This isn’t a low fat, low carb recipe. If it works for you, all power to you, but for me I need both in my life!
Details
20 min
50 min
1 h, 10 min
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped
- 3-4 medium Potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3-4 small Sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3-4 medium Carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, crushed in hand
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 1 Bay leaf
- Olive oil
- large Handful green salad leaves
- large Handful cherry tomatoes
- Cheese (I used pecorino)
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar or red-wine vinaigrette
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 200*.
- Grease two baking trays, or line with baking paper.
- On a piece of aluminum foil (one for each beetroot), sprinkle some olive oil, salt, pepper and a bay leaf. Roll your beetroot in the oil and then wrap into a foil parcel.
- Put the beetroot in the oven for between 50-60 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and remove skin once slightly cooler - it should peel away easily. Chop into large pieces.
- Meanwhile, chop your butternut pumpkin, potato, sweet potato and carrot into large chunks.
- Crush several cloves of garlic (not peeled) with the side of your knife to release the flavour slightly.
- Sprinkle your baking trays with more olive oil, salt and pepper.
- On one tray, roll your butternut pumpkin in the oil and sprinkle with whole cumin seeds (crushed in your hand slightly, or ground cumin).
- On the other tray, roll your garlic cloves, potato, sweet potato and carrot in the oil until well coated.
- Put both trays in the oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- In a large bowl add greens of your choice (I just used cos lettuce, but baby spinach would be lovely) and cherry tomatoes.
- Add cheese - shaved pecorino or parmesan, or chunks of fetta.
- Toss your roasted vegetables with your cheese and greens, adding some balsamic vinegar or a red wine vinaigrette.
- When you serve a portion, squeeze out a clove of roasted garlic and mix with the rest of your bowl.
- Delightful with a glass of wine.
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