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Beth Dooley's Sweet Nature

A delicious celebration of two natural sweeteners in more than 100 recipes.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — James Beard Award winning cookbook author Beth Dooley and photographer Mette Nielsen have teamed up to showcase two natural sweeteners from nature in their new cookbook, Sweet Nature. 

Honey and maple syrup are the iconic ingredients in more than a hundred recipes from savory to sweet. 

 A Pretty Barley Salad for Mother’s Day!

Serves 6

1-1/4 cup barley (9 ounces)

1 cup hazelnuts, roasted

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup hazelnut oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup chopped parsley

4 ounces crumbled ricotta cheese

Preheat  the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan of boiling slate water, cook the barley over high heat until tender, about 25 to 35 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool down and allow to drain thoroughly.

Spread the nuts in a pan and toast in the oven until golden and the skins begin to crack, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool. Chop coarsely.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, garlic and lemon. Add the barley and the parsley and the ricotta salad and toss to coat. Toss in the nuts and serve at room temperature.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Miso Ginger Vinaigrette

Serves 4 to 6

Turn this into a main dish salad by adding grilled chicken or shrimp.

VINAIGRETTE

Makes about ¾ cup

The umami notes of miso blend beautifully with the subtle sweetness of maple in this creamy dressing. Toss with spinach and strawberries and garnish with toasted hazelnuts.  This makes more dressing than you’ll need for the strawberry spinach salad, so store leftover dressing in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

½ cup sunflower or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons miso

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a clean jar with a lid. Seal the jar and shake until the dressing is emulsified and creamy. Taste the dressing and season with salt and pepper.

SALAD

10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and dried

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half

¼ cup toasted* chopped hazelnuts

Turn the spinach and strawberries into a large bowl and drizzle in just enough of the dressing to lightly coat. Garnish with the toasted hazelnuts.

*To toast hazelnuts, turn onto a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven until they begin to smell nutty and their skins darken and begin to crack. Remove and turn into a clean dish towel; rub the skins in the towel to remove the skins.

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