I've recently discovered barley and I am in LOVE! It had always been something you'd find in a soup during the cold and blustery time of the year - a backdrop, a co-star, perhaps even a third wheel. It is indeed a chewy entity, but not overwhelmingly so. It's the perfect state of chewiness. And it's so healthy! I love what it does for my body! If you haven't had a proper introduction to barley - please, let me do the honors!
I recently made a decision to dive deeply into a Mediterranean diet.
It's not a "plan" or "program."
You simply pretend you live on the Mediterranean and eat what those folks eat.
They're some of the healthiest people on earth!
Eating this way means LOADS of servings of vegetables and fruits - I aim
for nine total daily. Typically I get to around seven total.
This means whole grains, cereals, legumes, and nuts.
This means dairy is a side note - usually cheese from goats or sheep - or cultured
cow milk, as in yogurt. This is a win for my lactose sensitivities.
Proteins sourced from animals mainly come from
fish or chicken, some pork, and an occasional red meat fix.
Sweets are seldom and truly a special treat.
And olive oil is, literally, everywhere.
And I made the daring decision that I wasn't going to
worry about the amount of olive oil,
just to see what happened.
The decision to embrace this way of eating is what brought about the
renewed acquaintance with barley.
It is no longer the co-star in a hearty winter soup.
It is the base of many meals.
It comes pearled and hulled.
The hulled barley, harder to find, is the more nutritious, but
pearled is good for you, too.
It cooks up fairly quick.
I like to start checking it about 10 minutes before
the recommended cooking time as I like it still chewy.
I do not want a mushy grain.
I also give it a rinse with some cold water after I strain it.
I make up a container and keep it in the fridge
and make meals from it all week.
Taking a cue from the rice bowls I've seen, I start with a scoop of
a half cup of barley in a bowl.
After that I take a walk around my garden and peek into my fridge
and produce box on my counter.
I look for color first.
I make sure that what I choose provides a vision for my eyes!
I mix fruits and veggies together with reckless abandon,
fancying myself some mad culinary scientist.
This week I found a carrot, green onion, and arugula in my
garden containers.
An avocado and tub of tomatoes from the store rounded out my search.
Later, I decided to throw in a nectarine from Costco that needed to be used.
Sweet, pungent, crunchy, chewy, juicy - and bursts of vivid colors.
I was ready to assemble!
This is what I discovered about olive oil - and fat, in general.
It brings food alive!!
It makes their flavors pop and gives them a pleasing mouth-feel.
When partnered with some good sea salt or kosher salt, you just can't beat it.
So the trend of telling us to eat more vegetables but omit fat sets
us up for a short-lived relationship with those veggies.
They need each other!
After all my add-ins are peeled, cut, prepped in whatever fashion I choose,
I pile them into the bowl on top of that barley.
Then I drizzle extra virgin olive oil,
sprinkle some kosher salt over and some black pepper,
then give it a stir.
Right before my eyes, a masterpiece of delicious and nutritious
ingredients emerges!
And I can't wait to dig in!!
Barley Bowl
1/2 cup cooked hulled or pearled barley
1 carrot, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 handful or arugula leaves, chopped
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 small avocado, peeled and chopped
1 nectarine, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
Place barley in a deep bowl and add all prepped produce to it. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine and taste. Add more olive oil, salt, or black pepper, if desired. This feeds just me for lunch! But you could definitely make it larger to serve a family.
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