Healthy Grains {Recipe: Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Barley} #EatLiveBe


Happy New Year!  Yes, I do realize I'm a day late on that one... but, can you blame me for taking a couple of days to just kick back?  Ok... so, I didn't totally kick back the last couple of days because I was sick for several days before that and finally had the energy to get some things done... which meant, just catching up the last couple of days!  Boy... I am totally rambling right now!

Did you notice that I added the #EatLiveBe hashtag to this post title?  Well, it's officially time to revisit and restart these healthy posts again.  I'm not doing it alone either... I've got Cate, Sarah and Joanne joining me again in working on some healthy changes in the coming year.

I mentioned some of my goals for the coming months in my post last week... of course, the day after I wrote that post... I was knocked out with a horrible cold that put me out of commission for several days.     So, even though I got off to a great start early last week by getting my activity in... the last few days have been more about being good to myself and getting the rest I really needed so that I could get better faster.  I think this is the first time I didn't push myself to keep going when I got sick and it truly seemed like it didn't last as long as it has in the past.  Go figure.

Caramelized onions and mushrooms will be tossed with barley tonight.  #ELB #healthyliving

Something I've been wanting to incorporate more of recently are more whole grains.  I've attempted this in small bits in the past by making a Wheatberry Salad and a Wheatberry Bruschetta Salad, which were both very tasty and appealed  only to me and no one else in my house.  That's ok, because I made them so I'd have quick and easy, healthy lunches to take to work.

Now, it's time to come up with some great side dishes that my whole family (or at least a majority of us) will enjoy in place of pasta every time I serve dinner.

We had all enjoyed a barley salad at a Hanukkah dinner at our temple back in December... and, since I couldn't find an exact replica of that recipe, I started playing around with some of my own ideas.



After several practice runs with this recipe, tonight it was perfected to the point where 3 out of 4 of us went back for seconds.  I can't help that My Youngest still has a mushroom aversion... one day, he will learn that he has been missing out on some seriously good stuff when it comes to mushrooms... but, until then, more for the rest of us!

The onions are slowly cooked in olive oil to caramelize them into a beautiful golden brown... all while the barley does it's super slow cook in another pot (I haven't located the quick cooking kind, and it's really ok with this recipe since the onions need to do their thing, slowly and gently).  The mushrooms add that expected Earthiness and meaty texture to this dish.

There was really just about a serving left of this dish and I plan on taking it into work with me tomorrow for lunch!  This only works because I'm the first one in the kitchen assembling the lunches each morning!  You snooze, you lose - when it comes to the good leftovers!

This coming week, I'm taking my workout clothes to work so I can get some time in at our gym in our building during lunch breaks.  It's not my ideal workout time, but it does give me a much needed break from my desk and allows me to clear my mind for awhile.

If you'd like to join us in #EatLiveBe, just mention it in your blog post and share it in comments so I can come visit and offer you encouragement!  It's all about supporting each other in whatever healthy living goals we have this year.  Community in this on-line world is an amazing resource when we are looking for support!

Mushroom-Carmelized-Onion-Barley



Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Barley

Recipe by PatsyK
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked barley (per package instructions)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook the barley according to package instructions - using chicken broth instead of plain water.
  2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add onions and allow to cook until golden brown. This should take about 15-20 minutes. If the onions start to crisp up, lower the heat.
  3. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  4. Add the cooked barley to the skillet and stir thoroughly, serve hot.



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Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

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