Barley w Edamame Stir-Fry

I've come to the realization that I eat too much rice and too many beans/lentils. Duh! Took me only 40 years to realize that I'm just an Indian ;)!! Anyhow, one of the things I've been trying to do has been to up my intake of non-traditional grains, and cut back on rice. I've substituted barley, wheat berries, bulgur etc. Today it was the turn of barley again. 

Prep Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 cup dry, Hull-less Whole Barley
2. 2 cups Water or Home-made Vegetable Broth
3. 1 Medium Red Onion, julienned
4. 1 x 14 oz Frozen Shelled Edamame
5. 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste (or 1 tsp each, dry powder)
6. 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
7. 2-3 tbsp Soy Sauce, to taste
8. 1 tbsp Agave Syrup
9. Salt and Pepper, to taste
10. Asian hot sauce (optional, to taste)

Directions:

Rinse barley in lots of water until it runs clear and then transfer barley and water (4 cups) with a tsp of salt to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high, for 15 minutes. Allow pressure to dissipate naturally. Meanwhile, line a pan with water and add ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and agave and allow to come to a full boil, add julienned onions and saute until translucent. Bring to a full boil and add shelled edamame. On high heat, mix in, allow to come to a full boil and then cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes until edamame are fork tender and barley in the pressure cooker is cooked and ready to serve. Serve stir-fried edamame and onions over a bed of barley. Serve hot sauce on the side for the brave hearts in your household :)

My Assessment: I love the chewy texture of barley. Although I don't (at least in my mind) associate Asian foods with barley, this dish had that lo-mein-y flavor going for it and tasted great. I love edamame in any form and that accords its own brand of chewiness. This dish takes a while to eat and is consequently really filling. For being so simple to make and is loaded with a fantastic punch of dietary fiber (almost 14 g) and a ton of nutrition. Enjoy!! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 334 (Fat Calories 45)
Total Fat 5.0 g; Carbohydrates 52.8 g; Fiber 13.7 g; Sugars 2.1 g; Protein 17.5 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Mushroom, Barley and Herb Risotto

Someone on Facebook posted a picture of their lunch - Creamy Mushroom Barley from Happy Herbivore Abroad. I decided I needed just that for dinner. Unfortunately, I'd loaned my book to a friend and didn't want to call and ask for a recipe ;) lest they feel like I was pressuring them to return the book. So I decided to Google a Mushroom & Barley risotto. I found a recipe online which I ended up adapting to the WFPBNO way. 

Mushroom, Barley & Herb Risotto

Adapted from: American Diabetes Association - My Food Advisor

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 cup Barley (Hull-less, whole berries)
2. 2.5 cups Vegetable Broth (or water)
3. 10-12 White Mushrooms, stemmed and halved. 
4. 1 Medium White Onion, diced
5. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
6. 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
7. 2 tsp Better than Bouillon Mushroom Base
8. 2 tsp fresh minced Oregano
9. 2 tsp fresh minced Parsley
10. 2 tsp fresh minced Basil
11. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Rinse barley until the water runs clean. Transfer barley to a pressure cooker with 2 cups Vegetable broth and mushroom base and cook on high for 22 minutes. Release steam (or allow to self-dissipate if you have the time). Meanwhile line a deep pot with more vegetable broth, turn heat to medium-high, and add onions and garlic. Saute until garlic is fragrant and onion is cooked down. Add soy sauce, and minced herbs and toss well. Then add mushrooms and cook for another 2-5 minutes. You want the mushrooms to warm up nicely but don't want them to cook down completely. 

Once barley is done, turn heat on medium-high and slowly transfer any liquid in the barley to the mushroom mixture first. Allow liquid to evaporate, not completely, but almost gone. Then add barley in slow scoop-fulls tossing everything in between, until all the barley is transferred. Allow any excess liquid to dry up completely. Serve warm with freshly cracked black pepper. 

My Assessment: We loved it!! Tony had 2 servings!! We both loved the chewy texture of barley in this dish and enjoyed the lovely mushroom flavor imparted by the fresh mushrooms as well as the mushroom base. A+ !!! Next step - when I get my book back, I'll need to compare it to the HHA version. I'd imagine it would be quite similar, as I have adapted my cooking style to match Lindsay's quite closely. (**Note: My barley was a little soupy (added too much water while PCing) so I added some pre-made Brown rice to the risotto to get it dried up and onto the table - we were starving!**). 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)*: Calories 204 (Fat Calories 11)
Total Fat 1.2 g; Carbohydrates 40.7 g; Fiber 9.4 g; Sugars 2.4 g; Protein 8.4 g

* Nutrition facts are provided for the water option as vegetable broth calorie content can vary a lot.

15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup - Take 2

Recently, Tony decided to go herbie with me :) for 90 days. Since his repertoire of veggies and grains is still rather limited, I've been attempting to try some of the things he might enjoy for his dinners and left-over lunches. He's told me often enough that he likes Barley and that he likes it in soup, so I decided to make another version of my 15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup by withholding some of the non-traditional items that I use in my original version (no TVP or lentils today). I added black beans to add back the protein that I lost by removing TVP and lentils and since those are T's favorite bean ... we were all set for a wonderful heart-warming dinner :)

Barley & Vegetable Soup - Take 2

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. 5-6 cups Vegetable broth, or water
2. 3/4 cup Barley 
3. 3 stalks of celery, diced
4. 2 carrots, diced
5. 1 bunch of Spinach, stems removed
6. 1 15oz can of Black beans, drained
7. 2 Portabella mushrooms, diced
8. 2 tsp dried Basil
9. 2-3 tsp Minced Garlic, to taste
10. 1 heaping tbsp Yellow Miso
11. 1 tbsp Ketchup
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, with the exception of the last 3 in a pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes under high pressure. I used "quick" barley since I am trying to get it eaten before I open my bag of regular barley, With regular barley, I'm guessing a 10-15 min high pressure would be enough. I'll have to update that when I've had a chance to try it out. Once the steam is released, open the cooker, add and mix in the miso & ketchup and salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste ... enjoy!! 

Spinach & Barley Pilaf

This dish makes for a great side 'one pot meal'. I use Barley instead of rice, as it is a high-fiber, high-protein grain, Spinach for all the lovely benefits of leafy greens. Finally at the very end, I add mushrooms for a ton of flavor and a lot more protein; the whole dish is done in about 15 min with quick-cooking barley and makes for a wholesome filling dinner.

Prep Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Quick Barley (I use Quaker Oats)
2. 1 14-16 oz can of vegetable broth, preferably with no added salt
3. 1 tsp Garlic
4. 1 tsp Parley flakes
5. 1/8 cup fresh minced Basil leaves
6. 1 cup Baby spinach
7. 0.5 oz Dried Porchini Mushrooms
8. Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Directions:

In a deep soup pot, bring the vegetable broth to boil and add garlic. Once garlic becomes fragrant, add the barley and bring to a full boil before turning down the heat to medium low. Simmer for about 10 minutes and then add the spinach and allow to wilt.

Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in hot tap water, change the water a couple of times to make sure that any dust is removed. Drain and add to the pot.


Stir everything together, add in Basil leaves and turn heat to low. Cover and allow to simmer/steam until all the water is evaporated.

Serve with a side of steamed vegetables, or enjoy the pilaf all by itself. I love this quick and easy dinner!

15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup

This past weekend I attended a lecture and cooking demo in Dublin, OH by Julieanna Hever and Chef AJ. Julieanna gave an excellent talk aimed at debunking the myths around plant-based cuisine and Chef AJ followed that up with No S-O-S (salt-oil-sugar) cooking demo where she made a couple of excellent soups, a quinoa salad, and also some yummy truffles. For her split pea soup, made from scratch, she used an electric pressure cooker and she set the timer, to just 6 minutes. The soup was superb. That inspired me to use my stove top pressure cooker tonight to make this Barley & Vegetable Protein soup ... and from start to finish - from the moment I turned the stove on .. to when I served it into a bowl, this recipe literally took just 15 minutes. 

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. 1/3 cup Quick Barley (I used Quaker Oats brand)
2. 1/3 cup TVP crumbles, rinsed
3. 1/3 cup Split & Skinned Mung dal (green lentils)
4. 1 large onion, coarsely diced
5. 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely diced
6. 1/2 cup frozen corn
7. 1 pk (0.5oz) dried Shiitake mushrooms 
8. 5-6 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
9. 1/2 tbsp Roasted Cumin powder
10. 1/2 tbsp Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder (or use Garam Masala, instead)
11. 1 tsp Roasted Garlic salt
12. 1 14-oz can No-Sodium Vegetable broth
13. 2 cups water
14. 6-8 fresh basil leaves, for garnishing.

Directions:

Before doing anything else, place 2 cups of water and all the vegetable broth in the pressure cooker and turn  the stove on high to get the water going. Meanwhile rinse barley, TVP, lentils and mushrooms and mix in the broth. Add frozen corn. Dice onions and tomatoes and add to the cooker. Then add all the dry spices (except the salt).  By the time I had everything diced and added in the 2.5 cups of water in the cooker was at a rolling boil. Close the lid, keep the stove on high, and allow the cooker to come to a full steam pressure (about 4-5 minutes). Allow to sit at that pressure for 2 minutes and then turn off the steam. Using a spoon, lift the pressure regulator weight and release all the steam. Make sure to stay away from the gushing steam because it will scald you pretty bad. Once all the steam has been released, open lid immediately and mix. Do a quick taste check for salt, and if needed, sprinkle a small amount. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and serve steaming hot. 

My Assessment: Super quick dinner and a hearty one at that. This soup is so thick and rich and chewy, it didn't need any accompaniments at all. The barley was nice and nutty. The dal and the TVP made its texture creamy and I loved the flavor of shiitake mushrooms. Feel free to add more veggies, as you see fit to adapt this recipe to your taste. I used what I had in the freezer on this Thursday evening!! Lovely dinner ... and leftovers for later! Perfect week night dinner!

Mushroom & Barley Stew (Take 2)

So last week when i posted pics of my Mushroom & Barley stew, one of our friends commented that it wasn't a stew because the pics didn't look soupy enough :) .... well, it was soupy, but more on the dry side. So I decided to make it again, with modifications of course, and for Jeanne, I made it soupy too!! 

Mushroom & Barley Stew, Take 2.

Prep Time: 20 min  

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup barley (New Veggie #29)  
2. 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill TVP crumbles (optional; use additional 1/2 cup barley instead).
3. 3 cups of vegetable broth, and more, as needed. 
4. 8-10 large mushrooms, sliced.
5. 4-6 stalks of celery, diced.
6. 4-5 Slices of Field Roast Wild Mushroom Deli Slices, diced. (optional; Substitute with Italian sausage crumbles)
7. 1 cup of sliced fresh/frozen carrots.
8. Garlic salt, to taste.
9. 2-5 fresh Basil leaves, sliced.
10. 5-7 fresh Oregano leaves, whole.
11. Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. 

Directions:

Cook barley according to package instructions in advance, or use instant barley for this recipe. In a deep sauce pot, add vegetable broth and barley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Meanwhile slice mushrooms and celery and add to the pot. Continue to simmer. Next add the wild mushroom deli slices (or sausage crumbles) and continue to simmer. Add more broth as needed, to keep a good soupy consistency. Lastly add carrots, and herbs and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with a sprig of basil and freshly cracked pepper. Serve steamy hot!! 

My Assessment: Still LOVE barley! I love the nutty, very slightly chewy flavor of barley. I highly recommend that everyone try it at least once. The inclusion of celery and carrots added a whole other dimension to this soup. Um Um Good!!  

Mushroom & Barley Stew

So while it is not a true veggie but a grain, New Veggie #29 is Barley. I can honestly say that I have never before tried Barley, in any form except brewed :) !!  

Mushroom & Barley Stew

Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:

1. 1/3 cup barley, cooked according to package instructions
2. 1 cup vegetable broth
3. 1 medium/large Red onion, diced
4. 6-8 Mushrooms, sliced
5. 2 Field Roast Vegan Sausage Links, sliced/crumbled
6. 1 tbsp Garlic
7. Salt, and pepper, to taste
8. 2-5 fresh basil leaves, finely diced

Directions: 

Line a skillet with vegetable broth and add garlic and onions. Cook until tender. Meanwhile dice mushrooms and add to the skillet as well. Once mushrooms reduce mix in vegan sausage and mix well. Then add barley, toss well, and top off with barley and freshly diced basil leaves. When done, the dish should be the consistency of a thick soup or stew. 

My Assessment: For having tried barley for the first time, I really really liked it. It gave the stew a hearty flavor - and the nuttiness of the barley made it chewy enough that I didn't even feel the need for bread with it. Overall, a good recipe and a great grain ... !!    

Veggie Fact of the Day

Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It is used primarily as animal fodder, a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods, although it does contain gluten. 

Nutritionally, it is a wonderful cereal with eight essential amino acids. Whole grain barley (dehulled barley) still has its bran and germ and is a high-fiber, high protein grain. 

Pearl barley is dehulled barley which has been steam processed further to remove the bran, and is of course less nutritious compared to whole grain. When cooked, barley has a chewy texture and nutty flavor, similar to brown rice.