Barley Pilaf-Soaking Up Your Sauces with a Great Tasting Cholesterol-Blocker

An evening meal is not complete without the sauce-soaking, flavor-absorbing carbohydrate. Whether the potato, rice or bread, these carbs work to bring a meal together and enhance the dining experience. Unfortunately, these satiating carbs typically offer empty calories.

In the Kardea kitchen, we have found that barley offers a terrific alternative. Barley stands side-by-side with oats as an FDA-endorsed food for promoting heart health by lowering cholesterol. It is high in soluble fiber and a reasonable source of protein. I have since set out to explore how barley could be enjoyed in something other than a malted beverage.

As it turns out, a barley pilaf can be a delicious alternative to the rice, potato or pasta “starch” in protein/starch/vegetable triad my mom insists constitutes a meal.

A pilaf can be cooked to complement a great variety of dishes. Adapt by incorporating any number of spices. Start with the basic pilaf and create from there.

So, you ask “why don’t more people eat barley.” At least part of the answer lies with the fact that cooking barley can be a bit tricky. If you are not careful, you might find your pilaf with hot cereal qualities—perhaps great for a cold morning but not the best for a dinner. But if you take a bit of care, your barley pilaf can be a great nutritious alternative to high glycemic, low fiber carbs.

Barley Pilaf

4 Servings of About 1 Cup Each
Ingredients
1 Cup Rinsed Pearled Barley
2 Cups Water
1 Small Onion-Chopped Small
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (preferably fortified with plantt sterols)*
½ Teaspoon Turmeric
Salt & Pepper to Taste

*to double-up on the cholesterol lowering abilities of this dish, Kardea formulated an extra-virgin olive oil with added plant sterols. This olive oil is available through the Kardea Nutrition website http://www.kardeanutrition.com/products/food.aspx. Alternatively, if you want to lighten up on calories and total fat, you can cut the olive oil back to 1 tablespoon.

Direction
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add olive oil and chopped onion. Saute for a few minutes. Add rinsed peal barley and saute for 5 or so minutes, stirring regularly and making sure that barley does not burn or stick to bottom of pan. Add turmeric and then water to the hot barley and stir. Cover, lower heat and cook until tender but still a bit chewy (30 minutes). Remove cover and on very low heat, let steam escape. Periodically fluff to prevent sticking to bottom of pan. Serve when barley appears about the consistency of steamed rice. This all may sound a bit cumbersome, but it works. The turmeric also gives the barley a beautiful yellow color, accenting the visual appeal of an entire meal.

Nutritional Facts
(about a cup of cooked barley pilaf)
Calorie: 240 Calories from Fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g from olive oil; monounsaturated: 5.7g; polyunsaturated fat: 1.15g; saturated fat: 1.15g (4.3% of total calories); Trans fat: 0.0g.
Cholesterol: 0.0
Total Carbohydrates: 40g; Total Fiber: 8g; Soluble Fiber: 2g.
Protein: 5g.
Plant Sterol: .25g

Stepping-Up
You can try adding any number of spices. Try curry or cumin when serving lean meats or roasted root vegetables. Try ginger and currents when serving fish. Serve with a kidney bean chili or black bean salad (recipe in next blog) to create a meal that delivers 3-4g of soluble fiber.

Do You Have A Great Barley Recipe? Can you improve this recipe? Post your thoughts and recipes to this blog to share with the Kardea community.