Staycation Meal #19

 

Although I realize I'm maybe not doing the absolute best job in the realm of using things up, I am making progress, and I had a container of pearl barley waiting to be eaten, so that was the basis of this seasonal bowl of goodness.

I started with the recipe for barley risotto with asparagus an mushrooms from The Full Helping. Although it had more liquid in it than ideal, that tends to get absorbed with the leftovers, so it was fine. This wasn't the kind of amazing I had hoped, but it was fine. The cashew parmesan probably would have elevated it, so I would try that next time.

Along with the risotto, I made some veganized (just swap in vegan butter) buttered sauteed leeks from the recipe by Moon and Spoon and Yum. These were good, mostly because of the novelty of making leeks the main component of a dish. (I love leeks.)

Finally, I made the balsamic tofu steaks from this recipe by Nasoya. The flavors were great, but I think I would have preferred these baked, just to firm them up a bit more, or to have eaten this as marinated tofu raw (I realize that's a dichotomy but it makes sense in my head). I will probably try to make a version of this baked and see how that goes, because I do adore balsamic vinegar.

And yes, this is a staycation meal, as I am currently (as you read this) taking a week away from work. I have a lot to do, so it's not necessarily that restful of a vacation, but I am treating myself to good food where I can. (You'll see that in other posts as they come up, with things like big plates of berries for breakfast and fancy sandwiches in my random meals.)