A New Salad for September

What a GREAT day... slept in, slow morning, nice bike ride over to my church softball tournament, great barbecue and conversation, more bike riding, a couple of fun house projects, and then of course, some cooking.

I'm not ready to say goodbye to zucchini, summer tomatoes, red bell peppers and delicious berries... but I'm happily welcoming cauliflower and brussels sprouts as fall vegetables slowly make their appearance.

I perused my latest issue of Vegetarian Times and promptly adapted one of the recipes from it tonight. I have no ability to photograph my food, so I'm posting a photo on the left that includes several of tonight's ingredients, hopefully to get your taste buds going.

I practically licked the bowl -- this was very, very good. And rather simple to throw together.



Warm Salad of Buckwheat and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Walnuts
Serves 2

Use an earthy, nutty grain for this one: I chose to try out buckwheat in my never-ending search for new gluten-free options. I have to say I was totally satisfied and made a new friend in those little buckwheat groats. Other possibilities (not all GF) include couscous, quinoa, brown rice or millet.

Ingredients
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
4 tb olive oil
2/3 c buckwheat groats
1/3 c toasted chopped walnuts
1/2 c dried cranberries
1 tb dried parsley
1 tb balsamic vinegar
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 475 F. Toss Brussels sprouts with 1 1/2 tb oil in large bowl, seasoning with salt if desire. Arrange sprouts in single layer on 13x9 inch baking dish. Roast 20 to 24 minutes or til brown and tender, stirring once. Set aside.

Meanwhile, spread out the walnuts on a tray and toast them in the toaster oven. Chop them up.

At same time, heat large saucepan over medium heat. Add buckwheat groats (or other grain) and roast 6-8 minutes. Add 1 3/4 c water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes or til liquid is absorbed. Transfer to large bowl, cool for 5 minutes, then fold in Brussels sprouts, walnuts, cranberries, and parsley into buckwheat.

Whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, syrup, and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir into buckwheat mixture and season with more salt if desired.