I was all ready to include it in dinner that night, but my Google search for an appropriate recipe also included some hits for using it as a breakfast grain. When Tony got home that night I told him he would be able to eat his barley, but not until the next morning. Since that time I've made what I call Breakfast Barley every few weeks. I've modified the original recipe to make it my own, using a variety of ingredients. Each time I do it the results are a little different, but it's always good.
BREAKFAST BARLEY (4 servings)
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 cups juice (Your choice. If using canned fruit juice you may want to decrease the sweetener.)
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey (Or any combination adding up to that amount.)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (Or use any spice that would be appropriate in a sweet dish. Or use multiple spices.)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- Place barley in medium saucepan with juice, water, sweetener, spices, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until barley is almost tender.
- Add cranberries and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until mixture is thick and barley is tender. Stir in walnuts.
- Serve immediately, store in refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze in portion-sized containers. Reheat in microwave
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| Ready to be stored for future breakfasts |
Sounds good something different for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes I feel like I get in a breakfast rut.
DeleteTasty.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I always liked barley as a child, never have cooked it as an adult. I cook oats like this, though, and just did so this morning. Dried cranberries, brown sugar, and sliced almonds are my go to add-ons. I used cinnamon for awhile, but Terry said he did not care for spice in his grain.
ReplyDeleteI eat oatmeal a lot, but always cook it from scratch (and keep quick-cooking steel cut oats in the pantry so it doesn't take too long).
DeleteThat sounds interesting, especially adding the juice. Never thought of that.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome :-)
DeleteWhat a great idea, barley for breakfast. And I love that your recipe leaves room for lots of options. I think I might even change up the cranberries for other dried fruit and the walnuts for other toasted nuts.
ReplyDeleteYes, other dried fruit and nuts would be lovely, and if you make any particularly good substitutions I would be interested in knowing what they are. However, cranberries and walnuts are staples in my pantry.
DeleteTasty.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Hey ... I think I'm repeating myself.
Delete