This is a very healthy vegetarian dish full of Mediterranean flavor. Freekeh is wheat that has been harvested while still very young, and thus is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. It has a slightly smoky flavor due to the way the wheat is processed after harvest, so it pairs well with mellow flavors, such as beans and chicken. This recipe calls for cooking the beans from scratch, but you can also use canned garbanzos for a faster version.

For the Garbanzos:

½ cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked at least 4 hours

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic

1 sprig thyme

a few black peppercorns

For the Pilaf:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup yellow onion, small dice

¼ cup carrot, peeled, small dice

¼ cup fennel, small dice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

pinch of cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup freekeh, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes

2 cups vegetable broth

Short Sauce:

1 ½ cups fresh cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 cup parsley, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 sprig mint, leaves roughly chopped

½ cup pinenuts, lightly toasted

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)

For the Garbanzos:

Drain the garbanzos of their soaking liquid.
Place in a medium sized pot and cover with about 3 cups fresh water. Add the rest of the ingredients (you can place them in a bouquet garni bag if you want) and bring the water up to a boil. Simmer until the garbanzos are cooked through. Drain, remove the aromatics, and set aside.

To Prepare the Pilaf:
Heat up the olive oil in a medium sized pot. Sweat the onion, carrot, fennel, and garlic until the onion and fennel appear translucent. Add the spices and a pinch of salt, and stir for another minute or two. Drain the freekeh of its soaking liquid and add it to the pot. Stir everything together so that the freekeh is well integrated, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring gently. Pour over the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Add the garbanzos and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the wheat is cooked through. Keep in mind that these are wheat berries, so they will have a slightly chewy texture and will not be completely soft.

Make the short sauce by blending all of the ingredients together until coarsely chopped, you do not want a smooth puree. Spoon a bit of the sauce into the pot and stir to combine. Serve while warm.

Serves 4. 

These are attractive and light, making them perfect for a healthy weeknight meal. We like the De La Estancia brand of organic polenta, which is made in Argentina.  http://delaestancia.net/

3 cups broth + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup quick cooking polenta

1 baby eggplant

1 jar roasted red peppers

4 tablespoons zeytin ezmesi or another olive tapenade

Olive Oil

a few shards of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Bring the broth and oil to a boil, and stir in the polenta.  Whisk until thick.  When the mixture is thick, pour it into a square baking dish, loaf pan, or 2" baking tray lined with wax paper.  Smooth over the top to distribute evenly and allow to cool.  When completely cool and set, flip onto a cutting board, remove the paper, and slice into squares.  The best would be to have 4 thick squares, but you should just make-do with what you have in your kitchen. 

Meanwhile, slice the eggplant across horizontally into 1/2" thick rounds.  Brush lightly with olive oil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning over half way through. 

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a grill pan (or saute pan if you don't have), and grill the polenta squares on each side.  Top each with a thin layer of olive paste, baked eggplant, a layer of roasted pepper, and a couple shards of cheese.  You can bake these if you want the cheese melted, but we like them as is also. 

Makes 4 polenta squares. 

Note: You can buy Turkish olive paste from http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/whole-wheat-rigatoni-olive-paste

This salad is called the Gypsy salad because it is a melange of flavors, textures and ideas from around the world.  Blood orange, arugula, and fennel from Europe mix with jalapeno and avocado from Mexico.  Cumin, mint, and dates from the Middle East come into play as well.  Many of these ingredients, like dates, have traveled from their origin, and are now part of new cultures.  It is like us, a gypsy that never stops traveling.  The measurements are not exact, we trust that you add how much you want of each ingredient, and enjoy the journey that it takes you on.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and outer layer removed (if bruised)

1 handful of baby arugula

1 handful of dates, pitted and sliced in quarters

a few kalamata or Moroccan black olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 sprig of mint

Small handful of parsley

a handful of fresh walnuts, roughly chopped

2 blood oranges (you can substitute regular oranges or cara caras here also)

1 lime (kaffir limes welcome!)

1-2 Tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cumin and salt

Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice each half horizontally.  Transfer to a bowl and combine with the arugula.

Add the sliced dates and olives. 

Thinly slice the jalapeno.  If you are sensitive to heat, finely mince it, but if you like more of a bite, slice it in small horizontal strips.  You only need a 1/4 of the pepper or so.

Roughly chop or tear the herbs and add to the bowl. 

Keep the avocado meat in the skin and score with a knife in long vertical slices.  Use a spoon to get under the meat and scoop out the slices over the salad bowl. 

For the dressing, zest the oranges and the limes with a zester or microplane over the salad bowl.  You will only need a little bit of the lime zest and about 1/2 of one of the orange's zest.  Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges, removing the skin and pith.  Next place the oranges, one at a time, on the cutting board and slice off the skin and pith (without going to deep!) to reveal each segment.  Working over another small bowl, slice out each orange segment carefully, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl, and then add the segments to the larger salad bowl.  When you have finished slicing the oranges, squeeze out any excess juice into the small bowl.  Juice the lime into the bowl as well.  Stir in the cumin, vinegar, and olive oil and whisk to combine (you can just do this with a fork). 

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. 

Add the crumbled walnuts. 

Serves 2. 

This salad works as an appetizer, but it also goes beautifully on top of grilled fish like tuna or mahi mahi, or atop a grilled chicken breast.