Farro with Roasted Vegetables and Balsamic Vinegar

I just discovered this grain a few months ago at one of the most amazing restaurants I've ever been: Frasca in Boulder, CO.  My roommate's mother said she cooks with it all the time so I figured I had to give it a shot.   This grain will take your typical side-dish to a whole new level in terms of taste, texture and nutritional value.  Farro is an ancient grain very high in protein and also a great source of fiber and iron. It's often referred to as a "power grain", right next to Quinoa.  The texture is a bit chewy and it soaks in all the wonderful flavors added.  You can cook in water, but I prefer broth or stock.  Chicken stock would work well, although I used the Vegetable Stock I made the other day.

Ingredients:

-1 cup Farro (can be found at Whole Food either packaged or in bulk)
-3 cups of vegetable broth (or chicken broth/stock or water)
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-salt and pepper
-1/2 white onion
-4 whole carrots
-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
-1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Garden Bon Bon Giveaway

"This candy is for planting, not for eating!"  These amazing truffle-like balls are actually seed balls that are hand-made using a centuries-old technique of rolling seeds with rich organic compost and clay.  Just plop them in a pot or sunny part of your yard, water and watch them grow!  Moulton is graciously giving away TWO BOXES of Garden Bon Bons to Reckless Abandon Readers.  You could win one of these two kitchen-friendly varieties:


1. Italian Herbs- Basil, Parsley, Chives and Thyme

2. Edible Flowers - Violas, Calendulas, Anise Hyssop and Nasturtium 

There will be two winners announced right here on Reckless Abandon on Wednesday, April 4th so enter to win....or enter multiple times by doing one or more of the following.  Don't forget to COMMENT ON THIS POST EACH TIME YOU ENTER -

1. Pin a picture of The Garden Bon Bons to pinterest (click on the pin-it button at the bottom of this post)

2. Tweet about this giveaway mentioning @GardenBonBon AND @RachelLeeNob

3. Pin a Reckless Abandon recipe you want to try - (pin from an older post or re-pin from this board)

4. Sign-up for recipes via e-mail on the right side of the blog (already signed-up? still enter to win by commenting below!)

Click "read-more" below to learn more about Moulton, The Bon Bons, and how to plant them...I promise you don't have to be a pro and you don't even need a yard! They would make a great gift for your mom (mother's day is coming up) or a friend!

Easy Vegetable Stock from Old Scraps

This is the most thoughtless and cheapest recipe I've ever made because it's basically from water and frozen vegetable scraps.  It started with a gallon freezer bag and a few extra carrots I had leftover from a recipe.  Over the next few weeks I added chopped red onions, white onions halves, celery stalks, parsnips, wilted herbs, sprouting garlic, and a Parmesan rind. Basically anything that was no longer "good" to use in my kitchen but by no means rotten.  After a few weeks I had a FREE bag of vegetable stock goodness.  With olive oil and some water you have an amazing vegetable stock for soups, sauces and more.

Optional Veggies (and other things) to Add to your Freezer Bag:


-carrots
-celery
-parsnips
-turnips
-white, yellow, green or red onions
-leeks
-mushrooms
-tomatoes or tomato paste
-bell peppers
-yellow or butternut squash
-zucchini
-garlic cloves
-parsley leaves and/or stems
-other fresh or dried herbs
-hard cheese rinds such as parmesan
-bay leaves
-cloves
-whole peppercorns

Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers

I definitely love stuffed mushrooms and often have them as a side dish or sometimes a meal; see the couple recipes below:

• Spinach and Feta Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
• Grilled and Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

This recipe takes the same concept but uses much smaller mushrooms, perfect for finger food.  The sausage makes the appetizer even heartier, making it great for a hungry group or heavy-app party!  I used spicy sausage in half the mushrooms and mild in the other.  Just make sure to garnish differently so your guests (and you) can tell them apart.  I garnished the spicy ones with a red smoky paprika and the mild ones with dried mint, which adds a great earthiness.

Ingredients:

-1 large package of white button mushrooms

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1/4 sherry wine

-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

-about 8 ounces sausage (I used both Polidori's mild and spicy)

-1/2 cup Panko (or any type) of breadcrumbs

-3 garlic cloves
-salt and pepper

No-Bake Protein Energy Bites

It's hard not to admit there are definitely "food trends".  This is a trend I saw all over pinterest so figured I had to give it a shot.  Sure enough, they are pretty darn great. An easy way to get a sweet dose of protein, especially when you know your diet can lack it at times, like mine.  You can use a number of different ingredients to make these your own.  For instance, I have a special place for butterscotch so I used them in my mix instead of chocolate. Oh, and did I mention you don't even have to bake these? Awesome.  They're a great snack-on-the-go!

Ingredients:


-1 cup rolled oats (dry oatmeal, but not instant)
-1 cup coconut flakes
-1/2 cup butterscotch chips
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1 cup flaxseed (whole or ground)
-1/8 cup agave nectar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 cup crushed cashews

Spicy Sausage and Creamed Corn Quesadillas

It would be a long story if I explained how I ended up with a whole freezer full of spicy venison (deer) sausage for a whole year. So the point is...I did. Therefore, I got creative.  After a year, my favorite recipe was a quesadilla with creamed corn and cheddar cheese.  The (yes, canned) creamed corn is an amazing sweet balance with the spicy sausage.

Ingredients:


-4 flour tortillas
-4 Tbsp creamed corn from the can
-4 ounces cheddar cheese sliced (or shredded)
-2 spicy Italian sausages (about 4 oz each) .. I used local, Denver Polidori Sausage (amazing!)
-dried cilantro for garnish

Maple Brown-Butter Ice Cream

So this isn't exactly ice-cream...it's actually a semifreddo which is why you don't even need and ice cream maker to whip up this amazing dessert.  Semifreddo is a semi-frozen custard that almost has a mousse-like texture.  It's basically made using half ice-cream and half whipping cream which makes the light fluffy texture.  I stumbled upon this recipe in one of Martha Stewart's magazines, Everyday Food, and was dying to try it.  An ice-cream like dessert that was easy and you could keep in the freezer for a couple weeks AND doesn't require baking?  Count me in. It was just as easy as I thought it would be and we had it for weeks with butterscotch caramel sauce and nut topping.

Ingredients:


-2 cups cold whipping cream
-6 Tbsp unsalted butter
-3/4 cup pure maple syrup
-5 large egg yolks

(yes, that's it...)

Optional toppings:


-butterscotch caramel sauce from the jar
-mixed nuts topping