Inspired by an abundance of broccoli blossoms, we created a bright recipe that celebrates the launch of our meal kit program. The finely diced Swiss chard stalks, dried cranberries, and sliced radishes bring contrasting colors and textures. A party that fits in every forkful.

For this first meal kit recipe, we wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Other than boiling the grains, there’s no cooking required. You should also be able to prep all the ingredients while waiting on the grains, less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Here’s to a summer of good eating!

Serves 4
30 minutes

Ingredients

Grains

1 cup dried pearled barley
1 tsp salt

Vinaigrette

¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
3/4 tsp salt

Salad

1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves hand torn, stem finely diced
1 bunch purple sprouting broccoli blossoms, stripped from stems
2 radishes, root sliced thinly into circles (save and use the edible greens for another recipe)
1 bunch cilantro or chives, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the dried pearled barley and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat and cook at a low boil for 25-30 minutes until chewy and tender.

Prepare the vinaigrette dressing by whisking the vinegar, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl or pouring the ingredients into a small jar, sealing the lid, and shaking vigorously.

While the pearled barley cooks, combine the Swiss chard, broccoli blossoms, radishes, cilantro (or chives), and dried cranberries in a large mixing bowl.

Once the pearled barely is cooked through, drain in a colander and rinse briefly with cold water. Shake the colander a few times to remove any excess water. Add the grains to the mixing bowl with the other salad ingredients.

Pour the dressing into the salad, mixing with tongs or very clean hands. You may not need all the dressing. When your eyes light up from the bright tanginess, it’s ready to serve.

Notes

1) For this recipe, we’re using purple sprouting broccoli blossoms, but you can use other brassica blossoms (kale, bok choy, etc). A month ago, we could have harvested broccoli heads, but as the temperatures warm with the season, the plants start to go to seed (aka, bolting). Pollinators love these blossoms, and so do we for our cooking.

2) While testing this recipe, we tried iterations that included pumpkin seeds and calendula petals, but they ended up being too chaotic, too much confetti. We followed Coco Chanel’s advice (“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off") and simplified.

Spring Confetti Bowl

Lentil Leek Soup

Grandma Liang’s Vegetables