Mushroom, Barley and White Bean Soup

I know, right? Another soup. I think just about every other post of mine lately has been a soup. I promise we eat plenty of other things, but most often it's the soups that are the meals we enjoy the most. Especially on chilly or gloomy days, which we had a few of lately. Although earlier this week, it might've gotten so warm that I was wearing shorts, but that's besides the point. It's cold again, and I'm ready for more soup. (Who I am kidding though? I'll eat soup, happily, in any weather.)

I got it in my head that I wanted to make a mushroom barley soup, and while I had no problem finding plenty of vegetarian versions, somehow they just weren't what I was thinking of. The majority contained carrots, celery, mushrooms, barley and broth, flavored with thyme and sherry. I kept picturing something a little different, so I came up with my own- which had white beans, spinach and Italian Seasoning. I hoped that with cooking the barley in the soup (which I've never done before) the broth would come out thick and almost creamy. Luckily, the end result was exactly what I was hoping for. This was a hearty, wonderfully comforting soup, the kind where just a small bowl is enough to fill you up.

Mushroom, Barley and White Bean Soup
serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 (32 oz.) carton of vegetable stock
1 (15.5 oz) can of Cannellini (or other white) beans
2 1/2 cup coarsely chopped baby spinach, any large stems removed
fresh grated parmesan, for serving, if desired

Heat oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery and season with salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning. Cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add barley to pot, and stirring frequently, toast for a few minutes before adding stock. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until barley is tender and much of the broth has been absorbed and thickened. Stir in beans and heat through.

Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Let sit a couple of minutes to wilt slightly, and then serve, grated with parmesan, if desired.

Lime Cilantro Butternut Squash with Black Beans and Barley

You know how when you are online shopping, and the site you are on is gracious enough to share with you other items "You might also like..." Only then its something not even remotely related and therefore not something you would like at all. Food blogs often have this little feature, and I am often amused by what the computer thinks are similar recipes. Like when it's a vegetable-laden risotto and it suggests you might also like banana nut bread. (Well, actually I would like both of those, but that's besides the point.)

Recently, I was reading a post on Cate's World Cooking that was about cupcakes, and I noticed the generated suggestion below it was for Lime Cilantro Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans. Now, I'm not really a sweets person or a fan of cupcakes, (so it's funny I clicked on that post at all,) but the sweet potatoes and black beans- that was up my alley. I didn't have the potatoes but I did have a butternut, and I find those interchangeable. I got all excited to have it for dinner that night...and then realized I was out of black beans.

As soon as my pantry was properly stocked with black beans once again, I made it, still opting for the substitution of butternut. I just loved the combination of lime, cilantro, roasted squash and beans. I chose to serve it over barley, and while I really liked the texture that they barley added, I do believe that next time I'll toss the barley with the rest of the salad and let it rest a little, just to soak up the flavors a bit. You could also skip the barley and stuff it into a whole wheat wrap or serve it over salad greens. Or of course, just eat it by itself. You might want to double it as well. With the barley, my version only made 2 dinner sized servings, and I'm pretty sure this would make great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Lime Cilantro Butternut Squash with Black Beans and Barley

adapted from Cate's World Cooking (originally from epicurious)

serves 2

1/2 cup pearl barley

1 1/2 cups water

5 cups peeled, seeded butternut squash in 3/4 inch dice (I got this from half of a 3.25 lb squash)

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

kosher salt

juice from 1 lime (about 3 1/2 tbsp)

zest from half of a lime

cayenne pepper, to taste

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Bring barley and water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until barley is tender and water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, toss butternut with 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and a couple pinches of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until tender, flipping halfway through cooking time.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining oil, lime juice, zest, a pinch or two of cayenne pepper and another pinch or two of salt. Add cilantro and black beans and roasted squash. Toss gently. Let rest slightly and serve warm over barley. Alternately, add barley along with squash and beans.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetable and Barley Salad

I confess I am terrible at starring recipes in my reader, with true intentions of making them (along with recipes found in the many cooking magazine I get), when very few them do I actually get around to trying. But every so often, one comes along that I just have to try right away. When I saw this warm grain-based salad on Cate's World Kitchen, I knew I had to try it- and soon.

Then I had to wait all last week to make it because Sage was out of town and I knew he'd love it too. It was worth the hype I'd built up in my head and then some. In fact, it was so amazingly good, I had to force myself not to eat the leftovers for breakfast the next day (I managed to hold out until 11:54). And you know you've got something pretty wonderful, when leftovers can excite you that much.

Cate modified this salad, originally found on Veggie Belly made with quinoa, when she accidentally used couscous instead. She mentioned barley as another alternative, which after some deliberation I decided to go with. I think it was the right choice. Nothing against couscous or quinoa (as I love both) but barley was just perfect for this. I followed Cate's lead and roasted the vegetables instead of grilling them. I omitted the eggplant (Sage isn't always a fan), in it's place using extra zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms and adding red pepper. We also topped ours with feta at the table, which went fantastically, as I imagine goat cheese would.

Do yourself a favor and try this one ASAP. I promise you, you will be very happy you you did.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetable and Barley Salad, serves 4

adapted from Veggie Belly via Cate's World Kitchen

for the roasted vegetables:

2 medium zucchini (mine were on the larger medium side), cut into 1/2 inch thick half moons

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 1/3 cup grape tomatoes

8 oz. button mushrooms, halved

1 small red pepper, cut into 1/2 thick wide slices

for the dressing:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

for the salad:

1 cup pearl barley

3 cups water or broth (I used half water and half vegetable broth)

handful of basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

crumbled feta, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine water/broth and barley in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is tender. Drain any excess liquid, if necessary.

Meanwhile, whisk together dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetables to bowl and toss to coat. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a baking sheet, reserving remaining dressing. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.

Arrange vegetables and barley in serving dish and sprinkle with basil. Toss vegetables and barley before plating, and serve with remaining dressing and feta on the side.

Roasted Corn and Barley Salad with Basil Dressing & White Bean Dip

Yesterday was one of those challenging days where I needed some kitchen therapy. Beckett woke up cranky and miserable, and by mid-morning, I was cranky and miserable too. Sage was still out of town, and so it was going to be a very long day, if me and the little guy stayed in our grumpy moods. Playing in the kitchen, with Beckett as my little helper, followed by a long workout during his afternoon nap, was just what I needed. Working with end-of-the-week ingredients I had, I managed to come up with some seriously good stuff. This made a wonderful lunch for us, but either one of these would be perfect to take to whatever cookout, gathering or party you may be going to this holiday weekend.

In addition to operating the food processor, Beckett had some fun of his own washing the dishes. (And in case you're wondering, he picked out what he was wearing. I think he's looking forward to football season.)

I've been seeing a lot a grain based salads on blogs lately, and I was in the mood for one. I came up with this to use up some corn, and it was absolutely delicious! The sweet corn and the basil in the dressing were the standout flavors, while the barley gave heartiness and texture. The tomatoes really were overshadowed by the other flavors, but I think they give necessary color to this dish. I would double this recipe if taking to a get together.

Roasted Corn and Barley Salad with Basil Dressing

for the dressing:
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves
juice from half a large lemon (1 1/2 tbsp)
1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

for the salad:
1/4 cup pearled barley, well washed
1 cup kernels (from 3 small ears of roasted or grilled corn)
10 grape tomatoes,

In a small sauce pan, simmer the barley with 3/4 water, covered for about 40 minutes or until tender. Drain any excess water and set aside to cool.

While barley is cooking, blend dressing ingredients together in a small food processor. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Once barley has cooled, toss with corn kernels, tomatoes and dressing. Enjoy room temperature or chilled.

I was all set to whip up some hummus, when I realized the only garbanzos I had on hand were dried, which wasn't going to help me right then. I probably should've come up with something that had black beans since I have a surplus of those, but instead I settled on a white bean dip. This really is a pretty simple version, but I enjoyed it more than a complex flavored one I've made in the past. I used 2 big cloves of garlic, and it was rather garlicky in a pleasant way, so adjust according to your tastes. We ate ours with carrot sticks and multi-grain crackers.

White Bean Dip

1(15.8 oz.) can of white beans, drained and rinsed (I used Great Northern)

2 garlic cloves, quartered

1 tbsp olive oil

juice from half a lemon (about 1 1/2 tbsp)

1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth, stopping to scrape sides when needed. If you wish, add a little water to reach desired consistency. (I kept our thick.)

Transfer to serving bowl, and if desired drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with chopped veggies, crackers or dippers of your choice.

Barley-Vegetable Stuffed Eggplant

I haven't been blogging much, as we've have family in town, and I haven't done too much cooking. One night we didn't have plans with everyone, and I decided I wanted to make a "me" kind of dish. I had an eggplant that needed a purpose and I chose to stuff it, using some veggies I had on hand, along with a very small amount of leftover barley that's been just hanging around. I kept it meatless, but I think it also would be good with ground chicken/turkey, or some type of sausage.

I originally tried to find a recipe to follow, but couldn't find any one that I loved, so I just came up with my own, piecing together different ingredients and techniques from a handful of different ones. I was happy with how it came together- healthy, filling and delicious. Since Sage and his father were also having grilled chicken, I served them each half a stuffed eggplant, and had a whole one for myself along with salad. I should note that with this preparation, the shell of the eggplant was just for presentation, as it is too tough to eat, so make sure to carefully remove as much of the insides as possible, while still leaving the skin intact.

1/3 cup regular pearl barley
1 cup vegetable stock
1 medium eggplant
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 cups loosely packed baby spinach
1 roma tomato, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

Bring barley and stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is tender and water is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Slice eggplant in half, and drizzle cut sides with olive oil. Brush or rub to coat. Lay eggplant halves, cut side down in a baking dish, and bake for 25 minutes or until eggplants are tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

When eggplant is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh, leaving a scant 1/4 inch thick shell. Transfer the scooped out eggplant to a cutting board and coarsely chopped. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside. Return eggplant shells, skin side down, to baking dish.

Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add pepper and onions with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add chopped eggplant and cook for 5 minutes more. Add garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes and continue to cook for 3 more minutes.

Add barley and spinach to skillet mixture and stir to combine. Cover and turn off heat. Let sit for a few minutes to wilt spinach a little.

Spoon skillet mixture into eggplant shells, and top each one with half of the cheese. Bake for 12 minutes.

Barley Risotto with Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans

I'll be honest. We were a divided household on this one. Sage wasn't so crazy about it. I thought it was great (and totally unprompted by me, Beckett proclaimed it "delicious, Mommy" in his adorable not-quite-two-year-old voice.) I'm not sure if it was that this particular combination of ingredients just didn't do it for Sage, or if it had something to do the fact any meal that takes quite a while to make, he has overly high expectations for. (He said something like "I expected after all that, something more than a bowl of beans and barley.") He might've thought it was just "okay," but I really liked it. Because it wasn't a hit all around, I wasn't sure if I should even put it on here. But after Beckett and I happily enjoyed the leftovers the next day, I decided I should.


This comes from the ever-amazing blog, Smitten Kitchen. Deb encourages readers to play around and adapt this recipe, as she did from the very basic version found at Food & Wine. And play around, I did. Escarole wasn't available to me, so I used swiss chard, which I sauteed seperately and added in at the end, since I didn't think it would wilt down quite as quickly. I swapped out the beans (and even used a little more) as well as the cheese. There are so many other suggestions she makes, so if you intend to try this recipe, you should read hers first. Not only does she give various ways to make this dish your own, she also gives lots of great tips and has far prettier pictures.


5 cups reduced sodium vegetable stock (I used a 32 oz. carton, with 1 cup of water, because I didn't want to open up another for just a cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp thyme (I used more, because I love thyme)
1/2 cup white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup pearled barley
1 (15 oz can) Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 head of swiss chard, chopped (I didn't use the stems and got about 4 cups)
1/2 cup grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper


In a medium saucepan, bring the stock (and water if using) to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Add the barley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine if using and cook, stirring until absorbed, about one minute.

Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time in six additions — you’ll have a cup of stock left in the pot — stirring until it is nearly absorbed between additions. (This was supposed to take around 35 minutes, but mine took much, much, much longer.) Barley should be al dente, and in a thick, creamy sauce.

While the barley is absorbing the stock, heat the remaining oil in a small saute pan. Saute the swiss chard, until wilted, around 5 minutes. Set aside.

Add beans and swiss chard, along with about a half cup of the remaining stock. Heat the beans through, a few minutes, adding extra stock, to reach desired consistancy. (I used all but a tbsp or so of the last cup of stock.) Stir in the 1/2 cup of grated cheese and the butter and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once, passing more cheese at the table.