Weekend Cooking: Great Recipes from Eating Well

I love it when one of my food magazines is so good I want to cook my way through the issue from cover to cover. April's Eating Well is just such a winner.

So much about this issue says spring, especially in its use of radishes and peas, which are some of the earliest garden veggies (though it's still too cold here for gardening). I made three recipes from the magazine this week and marked a bunch more to try.

All of the recipes I mention here can be found on the Eating Well website (follow the links), but I share one recipe with my adaptations here. (The photos are used here in the context of a review, and all rights remain with Eating Well.)

By the way, Eating Well is about more than just recipes. There are always interesting and informative articles about health and travel. This month readers get to visit Ireland and Texas, learn about protein, discover how to eat well for good mental health, and learn about sous vide cooking, plus much more.

Here are a few of the recipes I flagged to try:

• Maple-mustard pork chops and vegetables baked on a sheet pan
• Poppy seed chicken salad
• Red grapefruit frozen margaritas
• Irish stew
• Steak with cauliflower rice

A few breakfast dishes, a couple of appetizers, and a shrimp recipe also made my cut.

The first recipe I made was Charred Vegetable and Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema (shown to the right). These were a hit and made enough for two dinners and one lunch. I would make these again in a minute. I bet the toppings would also work well as nachos, and I plan to test out my theory next time we have friends over for a casual get-together. I bet I could serve those grapefruit margaritas at the same time!

I also made the Radish and Carrot Slaw with Toasted Sesame Dressing. I served these as one of the sides for a simple grilled chicken dish. This slaw was really good the first night, but wasn't as fresh tasting the next day with lunch. Don't get me wrong, it was still tasty, but just not quite as good as it was the night before.

We had the following grain and broccoli salad for dinner one night and then had the leftovers for lunch. This was excellent as a main course and would be a good addition to a pot luck or buffet. I plan to make this again specifically for lunches. I'm sure you could switch out the broccoli for cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and the like. Follow the link to see the original recipe. Below is my adaptation, but the photo is from the magazine.

Whole-Grain Salad with Charred Broccoli, Spring Onions & Parsley Vinaigrette
Adapted from Eating Well (April 2019)
6 servings

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 4 small spring onions with 6 inches of greens, cut into ½-inch-thick pieces
• 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ cup roughly chopped parsley (leaves & stems)
• 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 bag Trader Joe's 10-minute barley, cooked per directions & drained
• ½ cup crumbled sheep's-milk feta cheese
• ⅓ cup sliced red radishes

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a sheet pan with parchment. In the pan, toss the broccoli and spring onions with 2 tablespoons oil, and then roast until softened and charred, 30 to 45 minutes (I forgot to time this step). Transfer to a large bowl and add lemon zest, salt, and pepper; stir to coat.

Place the parsley, mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar in a mini food processor and pulse until combined. Drizzle in the remaining olive oil in a slow stream until fully incorporated.

Add the barley, feta, and radishes to the vegetables. Toss with ¼ cup of the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side. Refrigerate the leftovers.

_______

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
_______