Mixed Grains Salad (name sucks, salad's delicious!)

This sounds disgustingly healthy. In fact, it is playfully delicious. The grains all provide a pleasant bite with a good mix of crunch from the nuts, seeds, and veg and little bursts of sweet and fresh throughout. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 cup (105g) wheat berries

3/4 cup (75g) brown rice

1 cup (105g) pot barley

1/4 cup (55g) olive oil

2 Tbsps. tamari sauce + 2 Tbsps. water

1/4 cup (60 g) lemon juice

1 Tbsp (18g) Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

4 green onions, thinly sliced (60 to 80g)

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced

1/3 cup (50g) dried cranberries

1/2 cup (65g) roasted hazelnuts, chopped

1/2 cup (70g) toasted sunflower seeds

1. Boil some salted water in a saucepan and cook the wheat berries at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
2. Add the brown rice and gently simmer for another 25 minutes. 
3. Add the barley and cook another 20 minutes, until all the grains are tender. The wheat berries and the brown rice should start to split. Drain any excess water from the pot right away, otherwise the grains will continue to take on water and the starches will settle on the outside of the grains making for an unpleasant gelatinous texture in the finished salad.
4. In large bowl, whisk together oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Add wheat berries, brown rice, barley, green onions, red pepper and raisins. Toss to combine. Stir in hazelnuts and sunflower seeds.

Granola

Of course this goes very well with 1/4 cup of yogurt, and it's an easy and tasty way of eating psyllium husks, which I just mix in with the yogurt. Quick, easy, delicious.

Number of portions: 16

Serving size: 57 g

Calories per serving: 236 kcal

Speed: Slow Food

Experienced cook (active time): 12–15 min

Novice cook (active time): 18–22 min

Total elapsed time: 1 hr 45 min – 2 hr 30 min

LHSS Score: 8.25 / 10

5 cups / 430 g rolled oats

4 Tbsp (40g) sunflower seeds

4 Tbsp (45g) pumpkin seeds

¼ cup (35g) hazelnuts 

¼ cup (35g) ground nuts, such as almond or hazelnut (can pulse nuts in blender until like coarse sand)

½ cup dried fruit (raisins or cranberries are nice)

1 tsp poudre douce or cinnamon

pinch salt

⅓ cup (55 g) brown sugar

2 egg whites (60 g), whisked 'til frothy 

¼ cup vegetable oil of your choice (50g)

¼ cup maple syrup or honey (75g) 

1½ tsp vanilla 

1. Preheat oven to 280°F. 
2. Line a large sheet with parchment.
3. In a large bowl combine oats, seeds, nuts + nut flour, brown sugar, spices + salt.
4. In another bowl whisk the eggs until frothy, then add the oil and sweetener.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and massage with your hands to coat evenly.
6. Spread granola ½–¾ inch thick on your 11x16" parchment-lined tray.
7. Leave a “donut hole”, approx 5" in diameter, in the centre for more even baking.
8. Press it down firmly with wet hands or the bottom of a pot.
9. Bake at 280°F for 45 min, do not stir.
10. Check at 35 min to ensure it's not burning.
11. When done, don't remove it from the oven, but turn the oven off and prop the door open. Let the granola sit in the oven until it's fully cooled.
12. Break into clusters, add the dried fruit, mix well and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Pavement

I'm always surprised at the reaction I get from this incredibly simple dish. It's a perfect thing to do if you don't have time to make a dessert, such as when unexpected guests drop by and the company is so good that they end up staying for dinner.

At least 6 oz. 70% chocolate

1/4 cup of dried fruit or nuts or both (cranberries, cherries, candied ginger, salted almonds, etc)

1. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
2. Put some parchment paper in a cookie sheet or plate or pan. Arrange the fruit and/or nuts in the general area of you think the chocolate will cover, keeping a few bits aside.
3. Pour the chocolate over the other ingredients, pushing stray pieces into the chocolate, to cover. Sprinkle to top with the bits of fruit/nuts you've kept aside. Let harden in the refrigerator or, if this is last minute, in the freezer, which should take about 10-20 minutes to set.
4. Break into slabs and pile on a plate or serve the whole stretch of pavement on a board and let guests hack away as they please.