Meditteranean Kasha Salad

Our family loves to eat lunch at Wild Oats and I am always excited when they have a new vegetarian salad for me to try. This past week I was intrigued by a kasha salad as I have been wanting to add this grain into my life. It tasted great, so I spent some time messing around with a recipe and ended up with this. If you can’t find kasha, you could substitute couscous, barley or even quinoa. But if you’ve never tried kasha I do recommend giving it a try.

2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup kasha
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup red onion chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
4 oz package crumbled feta
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
2 TB vegetable oil
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB red wine vinegar 
1/2 tsp minced garlic
dash of salt

Heat vegetable broth or water to boiling. In separate medium skillet stir kasha over high heat for 2-3 minutes until kasha is hot and slightly toasted. Add to boiling liquid and stir. Cover pan tightly and simmer 10-12 minutes until kernels are tender and liquid is absorbed.

When kasha is cool, add diced cucumber, red onion, peppers, feta and olives. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Add dressing to kasha and mix well. Chill for an hour (or more) before serving. Serves 6.

Tortilla Casserole

This is a recipe I grew up eating and have recently adjusted to create a vegetarian version. It’s super easy and there’s a good chance you have everything you need already in your kitchen.

4 whole wheat tortillas
1 can vegetarian refried beans
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 chopped onion
1 can olives sliced
about 2 cups grated cheddar
about 3 cups cooked brown rice
taco seasoning to taste

Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add rice and diced tomatoes. Stir to blend then heat through. Add as much taco seasoning as tastes good to you. (I didn’t have taco seasoning tonight, so I added cumin, paprika, garlic salt and a little chili powder.)  

Heat a small non-stick skillet with cooking spray and fry a tortilla on both sides until it is soft. Spray a round baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the tortilla on the bottom. Cover with a thin layer of refried beans, then the rice mix, then the sliced olives, then the grated cheddar. Continue this for two more layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until heated through. Remove top and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Top with sour cream and enjoy! Serves 5-6 adults.

(Okay, for those of you meat eaters, I’ll tell you the non-veg version. Substitue the rice mixture with the following:

1/2 medium onion chopped
pound of ground beef
1 can of tomato sauce
taco seasoning to taste

Saute the onions til soft, add the meat and taco seasoning. When meat is thoroughly cooked through, add the tomato sauce. Heat through.)