Barley Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

I borrowed this recipe from Weight Watchers. The main thing i changed was the nut - i used Walnuts, the recipe called for Pecans. I'm sure either would work.  OH- i didn't have tarragon, so i skipped that. 

Barley Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
PointsPlus® Value: 5
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Cooked barley has a lovely nutty flavor and wonderful firm texture, making it a perfect grain for side dishes.

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11th Meeting

After the last exchange we had to get back on track. The evening started with some heavy discussions about the Hindu religion and culture. I was lucky enough to attend Saturday school which taught me a little about my culture and religion. But I am embarrassed to admit that I forgot a lot about it too. Nishal, on the other hand, who can recite the whole mahabratha gave us a brief synopsis of the story. While she was telling us it all came back to me but I could not have explained it the way she did. It was refreshing to talk about our religion.

After that mental boost (I don’t know about your girls, but I really felt good listening to Nishal talk about it) Hetal whipped up some green smoothies. I call them smoothies versus drinks because they felt like drinking a smoothie. The concoction was made of almond milk, spinach and various different fruits. More on that way when Hetal posts the recipe… however, I can no longer say I have not had a banana in 15+ years. It was really delicious. Now we only have to convince Hetal to make it for all of us on a weekly basis. (Queue Ben Stein saying: Hetal? Hetal? Hetal? Anyone?)

Vaishali won’t admit it but she is some kind of a self taught yoga/fitness expert. She taught us some poses that are sure to keep us fit. After that we filled our bellies on two different types of salads and stuffed peppers. Everything was vegetarian. We ended the night with some very interesting dessert. Jalpa served us what was by far for me the biggest surprise of the night- beet sorbet. Yes, beets! The root. And was it delicious!

The only bad thing about the night was that it end way too early. And also that Parul couldn’t make it. Can’t wait till the next one: Indian Fusion!

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Veggie Crab cakes

Crab cake ingredients:
- 2 packs of extra firm tofu
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots (shred at home versus store bought...the ones from the store are sometimes really thick)
- 1/2 cup thinly diced yellow onion
- 4 serrano green chillies finely chopped (i prefer chopped instead of crushed from a blender)
- 2-3 large garlic cloves
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro and dill
- juice of 1 lime
- splash of white wine (optional, not required; anything you like to drink)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- oil (when ready to cook)

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Parul's PECAN PIE

CRUST
1 cup all- purpose flour
½ cup shortening (minus a little bit)
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS water (cold!)
*I actually used ¼ cup shortening and it worked fine.

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Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 onion diced
Minced garlic
2 tbsps cumin
1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper (I didn't use so it's optional)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
black pepper and salt to taste
1 red bell pepper diced small
1 green pepper diced small
1 jalapeno pepper diced small
1 can diced tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes)
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
1 can white cannellini beans
1 can black beans (If using chicken then substitute with black beans)
cayenne pepper
fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

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Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• About 1 cup hot red pepper sauce (recommended: Texas Pete)
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• House seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 (1 to 2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
• Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil

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Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
32 oz can of chicken/vegetable broth
1/2 cup milk
1 breast of rotisserie chicken shredded or chopped pieces
2 cups of frozen vegetables
1 tblsp spoon of cream cheese
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Puff pastry sheet

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