Barley & Butternut Squash Harvest Meal

IMPORTANT!  The recipe below is not so much a recipe as it is a guideline of ingredients.  I make it a bit different each time depending how much of any one item I have, so just use your own judgement and taste as you go.

I sometimes peruse the prepared foods behind the glass at Whole Foods, ogling at all the incredible looking dishes.  Once in a while, if a dish contains ingredients that are staples for me and it looks like it would be easy enough to replicate without much effort or time, I buy a small amount and copy it to the best of my ability at home. This dish is a derivative of the Whole Foods "Autumn Toasted Couscous" - the main alteration being that I sub barley for couscous.  I also omit the fennel (not a fennel fan) and apple juice, and sub white wine vinegar for sherry vinegar and the currants with dried cranberries.  

I also add a bit of a twist to the recipe:  before serving I lightly saute a mix of cubed and finely diced tempeh with chopped kale, then add in the dish to warm it up a bit, finally adding toasted almonds in at the end. Yum!

ingredients:

• barley (about 1.5 cups dry)
• butternut squash (about 1 small one)
• dried cranberries (roughly one handful)
• shallots, sliced and lightly sauteed (very small amount - too many is overpowering)
• parsley, chopped (about 1/2 cup?)
• sage, dried & crumbled (about 1 Tbsp)
• light oil of your choice; to taste
• white wine vinegar; to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

"bonus" ingredients (see 3rd paragraph above):

• tempeh
• kale
• almonds

method:

Cook the barley and bake the squash until just soft enough that a knife slides through easily. You do not want the squash mushy - you must be able to cube it once it has cooled.  Once the squash is baked, remove from the oven and let cool before cubing into approx. 1" cubes.

Combine all the main ingredients in a large dish, being careful not to mash the squash chunks.  Serve cold, at room temperature, or heated.

For the "bonus dish", take an amount of tempeh you decide is right to combine with however much of the dish you want to use.  Halve the tempeh:  finely chop one half and cube the other half into 1/2" cubes, roughly.  Saute lightly in a pan (I use a cast iron skillet). 

Chop kale, as fine or course as you like, and as much or little as you like.  When the tempeh is slightly browned add the kale, stir well and sprinkle in some salt.  Turn off the heat and add as much of the barley dish as you've decided to do.  (I only do this last step in 1 - 2 serving portions and put the remainder of the barley dish in the fridge)  Mix everything together, then add toasted almonds. Again, the amount is up to you.