Saucy Southwestern Barley

I was never a barley aficionado!  To me, barley was something you added to canned vegetables (yuck), noodles, canned tomatoes, and called it Minestrone Soup.  One of the nutritionists at Scottsdale Cardiac Rehab encouraged us to take a look at barley as a grain to add to our diet.  So I did.  I looked up a lot of websites and info about barley and was amazed at all the health benefits contained in barley.  Apparently barley can not only lower cholesterol but can also lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Here is a website  I really enjoyed that taught me a lot about barley:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127

For us, the real test was in the tasting because no matter how beneficial, if we HATED barley, we wouldn't  eat it.  First I tried cooking it plain.  I washed, then simmered the barley in water until all the moisture was absorbed.  Then added a little salt and a little sesame oil.  Wow...so many possibilities!  Cooked plain, barley has a mild, nutty, and totally delicious flavor!  I imagine I will now be using barley as a whole grain for breakfast with some honey, raisins, and cinnamon or just adding honey and chopped fruit.  Also, I can add veggies and herbs and create tasty side dishes as well.

Following is a barley concoction I created which I usually use to make Spanish rice and as I discovered, it is delicious with barley too.


Ingredients:
1 cup barley
2 1/2 cups water
1 ear fresh corn
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 poblano chili, diced
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
salt/pepper to taste
2 tsps. canola oil
2 tsps. sesame oil

Instructions:
Thoroughly wash barley in colander.  Bring water to boil in medium saucepan and add barley.  Simmer for about 45 minutes until water is absorbed.  (You can reduce cooking time by soaking barley in water over night.)  Shave corn off the ear then saute' corn, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and poblano chili in canola oil until onion starts to brown.  Remove from stove and add to cooked barley.  Salt and pepper to taste. Instead of butter, I like to flavor with sesame oil.  In this particular recipe, sesame oil really enhances the nutty taste of the barley.

Tonight, Don and I are going to have Ancho-Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts with this barley recipe as a side and our yummy kale salad. (Check out the January and February archives on this blog)  We've been eating vegan for the last week and are having chicken as a treat!