Barley Chicken Soup

Enjoy a great soup with a lot of vegetables and barley added that is a wonderful grain. 

Ingredients: Serves about 8
2 Chicken Breast skinned
7 C Water
2 olive oil
2 onions chopped up
 2 minced garlic
3 stalks of celery washed and chopped
1 T thyme
1 T chicken seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1 C barley cooked
*extra seasoning to your taste preference 

Directions:
1. Pour water into pot. Heat on the stove to medium heat. Place chicken breasts in the pan. Cook the chicken till completely cooked.   
2. Once the chicken is all cooked take the pot off the stove. Take the chicken out and shred the chicken. Put the chicken back into the pot. Put back on the stove on medium low heat.
3. In a small frying pan heat the oil to medium heat. Place onion in the pan stir and let cook till soft. It should take 3-5 min. Then stir in the garlic cook another 2 min. Then take the onion and garlic mixture into the chicken pot.   
4. Pour the remaining ingredients into the pot and cook until the carrots and celery are soft. 
5. Serve warm.
   

Spicy and Sweet Barley

It's Recipe Redux time again . . . and guess what we were pleasantly surprised to find the theme was! A Whole New Grain! Awesome, since that's kind of our thing. Now I know all of you have heard of barley before (corner on the barley market, anyone?), but when's the last time you used it?

Here are some of the health benefits of barley:

• Contains 8 essential amino acids
• Eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption
• A 1 cup serving has over 50% of your daily recommended fiber intake
• Helpful in lowering cholesterol
• Shown to be helpful in preventing cardiovascular problems, lowering risk of heart failure and type 2 diabetes and even childhood asthma.

Whole grains can do amazing things. If you don't have barley on hand, this recipe would also be great with quinoa. Either way, you're getting your whole grains.

Ingredients:
1 T coconut oil
1/2 onion chopped in thin slices
2 minced garlic cloves
3/4 C barley (you could replace 1/4 C with quinoa)
3 3/4 C water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp thyme
1/2 to 1 tsp finely chopped chipotle pepper or 1 to 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (or a little of both if you like it extra spicy)
1/3 C brown rice
2 C fresh spinach
3/4 C coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tsp honey
dried cranberries

1. Heat oil in med. saucepan stir in onions and garlic. Stir and let soften on medium heat for 3-5 min.

2. Sir in barley and quinoa and let brown a little for about 3 min. Continue to stir the mixture.

3. Stir in the water, salt, spices, pepper and brown rice. Let it come to a boil and let boil for about 2 min.

4. Turn down to simmer and cook 45 to 60 min. Till most of the water is absorbed and the grains are softened. Don't stir too much or it will turn mushy.

5. Heat up a small skillet and sir in honey and walnuts and let them cook on med heat till lightly toasted about 3-4 min. Take off heat and let cool. Take out of the pan before they cool all the way or they may stick. If they get stuck to the pan you can reheat them a little.

6. Drain off excess liquid in a strainer. Let cool.

7. Prior to serving toss in the spinach and sprinkle walnuts and cranberries on top.

Barley info links here and here.

Other Redux Bloggers' Links

Yummy Barbecue Chicken!

Oh, I love Barbecue sauce on foods. In the past couple years I have really enjoyed making homemade instead of store bought, they taste sooo much better to me. This recipe is no exception. I Loved it! My family did as well. They went back for seconds. That is a really good sign. =) I liked the spices in it. I will be making this again soon. It would be great on pork too.

Ingredients:
2 T Honey
1 T Paprika
1 T Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C Ketchup
1/4 C Cider Vinegar
2 T Molasses
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T Liquid Smoke
2 1/2-3 lbs uncooked chicken

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.

3. Grease 13x9 inch pan. Place chicken in the pan and pour on sauce. Make sure it is all covered.

4. Cover the pan with foil. Place in the oven. Bake about 30 min. Check for doneness

5. Then uncover the pan and place back in until completely cooked. It should be about 15-20 min longer.

I served it with this dish .
It was a yummy meal! =)

Barley Pilaf

This was a nice side to the salmon we were eating for dinner. It was fun way to get the grains in with the meal. Doing something different than your normal brown rice. It tasted good as well. Easy!

3 C Warm Water*
1 1/2 C Barley Hulled*
1 T Chicken Seasonings
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Whole onion chopped small pieces
1 Small can of mushroom pieces (drained)
3/4 C Grated Carrots *Optional
4 Green Onions chopped in small pieces (The green part adds nice color)
1/4 C Finely Chopped up Almonds or Slivered Almonds

I used my pressure cooker (You could cook on the stove. Boiling water first or in a Rice cooker) I poured in the water, Barley, Spices, Mushrooms and Onions. I set it on 17 min on high pressure. Then let it sit 15-30 min. Before I opened it. Then I added the green onions and the Almonds.
Serve!

*You could replace some of the water with Chicken or vegetable broth.
* I didn't do the carrots this time.
* (Pearled Barley would cook faster but not as much nutrition. )

Granola with a tropical twist

I enjoy trying different versions of Granola. This is a new one, I liked. It was a new twist to use the tropical fruit, and to use applesauce instead of oil. :) I loved the tropical blend I used, that had mango, blueberries and cranberries. I also used a 6 grain rolled oats, that I got from Good Earth. It added a lot of great grains. It had red and white wheat, Rye, Barley, Rolled Oats and Sunflower seeds. It tasted great!

3 C. 6 Grain rolled oats or Oatmeal
1/3 C. Applesauce (I got the flavor with cinnamon :)
1/3 C. Water
4 T. Sugar and Cinnamon Blended together
1 C. Cashew pieces
1 C. Dried Tropical blend ( I used the one with Mango, Blueberries, and Cranberries
1/2 C. Unsweetened Coconut flakes

1. Heat oven to 325

2. Mix all the ingredients together.

3. Pour onto cookie sheet. You can use parchment paper.

4. I like to clump it together a little. (I like when it sticks together while baking.) Stir every 10 min. till cooked to desired texture. I like it to be slightly crunchy. :) After it cools store in an air tight container or ziplock bag. Enjoy! :)

9 Grain Bread

Doesn't that dough look great?

1 1/2 c. uncooked 7 grain cereal
2 c. hot water
1 c. wheat flour
2 T honey
2 T coconut oil or oil of your choice
1 tsp salt

1. Stir together and let sit till water cools, to lukewarm. Then stir in 2 T. Yeast. Let sit till it starts to sponge about 15 min.

2. Then add :

2 eggs
4 c. spelt flour
1 T gluten powder

3. Knead together with your machine, for no more than 4 min. (Spelt flour does not perform well when it is over-kneaded.) Let double in the bowl. I rubbed some oil on it. Cover with a towel.

4. Punch down and form into loaves. I made one 2 lb loaf and about 6 rolls. Let rise until double.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf and your oven. It smelled so good while it was baking. One of my children even mentioned that. The taste was wonderful. Enjoy!


*I used a 7 grain mix I have that has Rye, Barley, Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth, Buckwheat and Oat Groats that I ground into flakes. You can find a variety of grain cereals already flaked.

Qunioa Barley Vegetable Soup

This is a yummy Summer meal, and light at the same time. You get a lot of great nutrition in this soup. I love the colors that are in it. :)

1/2 C. Barley
1/2 C. Qunioa
2 C, Water
2 Tbsp Garlic
6 oz. Mushrooms Chopped
3 Carrots Chopped
1 Large Zucchini cut into 1/4" slices
1 Med yellow squash cut into 1/4" slices
1 onion Chopped
1 can 14oz. Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
5 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dry basil
4 C. Vegetable or Chicken broth
2 tsp. Kosher salt (people can always add more on their own)
1 T. Lavender seasoning
1 tsp fresh Marjoram or dry
Salt and pepper to your own taste

1. Precook barley and qunioa with water till tender. (I cooked it in my pressure cooker for 17 min.)
2. Put in all the remaining ingredients into crock pot and cook on low 8-10 hours. I started it late and put the whole mixture in the pressure cooker for an additional 17 min.

3. That's all there is to it. :) I loved the texture of the qunioa in it! Yum!

* I bought a bag of frozen zucchini and yellow squash sliced. They were out of fresh at the store I went to. It worked great!

Stir-Fried Chicken and Chinese Vegetables

1/2 c. Chicken broth
1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or 1/4 Tbsp. liquid aminos and 1/2 Tbsp. water)
2 garlic cloves, minced,
1 1/2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped chicken
2 tsp. canola oil (coconut oil would also work fine)
3 c. chopped bok choy
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
1 cup snow or snap peas
1/4 c. drained canned sliced water chestnuts (optional)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
cooked barley, quinoa, and brown rice



Cook chicken how you would like. I cooked mine on the stove in a saucepan with a little water. That way I already had broth for the next step.

Combine broth, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and salt in a small bowl.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Cook the bok choy, bell pepper, onions, and carrots for 3 minutes. Add broth mixture along with peas, mushrooms, and chicken. Reduce heat and continue cooking and stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Add water chestnuts and cook for 1 minute longer, or until they are heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. There was excess sauce, which added more flavor to the the grain mixture. My family liked that:) One of my picky eaters came for seconds. :) It was a nice Summer dinner.

Serve over a mixture of 1/2 c. barley, 1/2 c. quinoa, and 1 c. brown rice cooked in 4 cups water. Cook until tender. If you have a pressure cooker it will cook in 17 min on high pressure.

Serves 4

This meal could easily be vegetarian if you eliminate the chicken and substitute a vegetable broth for the chicken broth. It would be delicious!

Brown Rice Mixture

This is something that I make regularly. I make a large amount and put the leftovers in the fridge for other meals. It stays good for a week. The cool thing is it is a great way to add grains to other meals. If its all cooked and in fridge, it's ready to go, so you are more likely to use it. I make it in my Cusinart pressure cooker. It was a splurge, but I have used it a lot. I love it. You can make it in your rice cooker or make it the way you would make Brown rice.

The recipe I follow is :

2 C. Brown Rice

1 C. Barley or 1/2c. Barley & 1/2 C. quinoa or 1/2 C. millet

6 C. Water

add spices of your choice. I like Marjoram, Basil, or Cilantro (for Mexican)

I usually keep the ratio of Brown rice 2 to 1 of other grains. Then you cook it the way you would normally cook rice. (In my machine I set it for 17 min. at high pressure. It takes a few minutes for the pressure to build. Then the timer runs the 17 min. I usually let the pressure go down on its own. Maybe 10 to 15 min. I sometimes leave it longer. It stays warm till ready to serve.)

The key is make sure it is soft. :) Here is some suggestions of what to do with it.

1. Eat it the way it is, add salt and pepper and other spices of your choice. Great side dish.

2. I put some in my husband's lunch today with some homemade salsa and cooked beans.

3. You can add a cup to pizza dough. The texture is not noticeable with all of the toppings on it.

4. Add it to soup.

5. Add it to Mexican dishes.

6. Add it to casseroles.

7. Add it to your favorite salads.

8. Add to cooked vegetables.

9. Use your imagination!

The key is that the grain completely cooked. I have increased the mixed grains at times, making them a higher ratio to the brown rice, but I would start out with the 2 to 1 and see how you like it.

This technique also works with other grains. Cook them ahead of time, and then you will be more likely to add them to your favorite recipes.

All About Barley

More information to come.