Friends, I have a bit of a problem. It has to do with my kitchen cupboards. It’s a good job my roommates aren’t into cooking, because if they were there would certainly not be enough room for the 3 of us in our kitchen. There was a time a little while ago where I was very proud of my well-organized kitchen cupboards with nicely labeled containers, but things have gone a little awry. The evidence:

It might not look terrible, and yes, the contents of the containers do match the labels. But see all those bags? I almost had to call Bulk Barn this weekend to ask what bin #220 is. (It’s organic maca root powder, just in case you were wondering). I’m sure other neat freaks will concur that situations like this have potential to cause distress. In order to bring order to this chaos (read: prevent hundreds of tiny little grains cascading out onto the floor) I’ve embarked on a quest to use up the grains. One of the prime targets:

That would be barley. I’ve got tons of it, and I’m determined to use it up. I mentioned on Wednesday that this weekend had me in a soup-y mood, and one recipe was just not enough to get my fix. (If you missed the Recipe of the Week, Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Ginger Soup, make sure you check it out!) Still wanting more, I made another creation with some of the same veggies:

I know carrots, celery, onions, and garlic might not be the most exciting, but they certainly make good soups. What makes an even better soup? One with barley.

Chicken and Barley Soup

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 carrot, sliced into thin discs
  • 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 225g boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1/3 cup barley
  • 2 cups diced tomatos
  • 1 cup green peas, defrosted if previously frozen
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons

Preheat oven to 375F. Sprinkle chicken with sea salt and black pepper, and bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked throughout.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic, onion, celery and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes or until the onion begins to soften.

Next, add the broth and barley. Turn heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid. Cook until the barley is soft, about 30-40 mins.

When the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool until you’re able to shred it into small pieces with your hands.

When the barley is finished cooking, add the chicken back to the pot with the tomatos and peas. Add sea salt and black pepper to season, and cover again, cooking until the entire mixture is hot.

Meanwhile, use a knife to cut the basil into thin ribbons. When the soup is ready, ladle it into bowls and garnish with basil.

Serves 4.

Nutrition per serving: 240 calories, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 33mg cholesterol, 360mg sodium, 30g carbs, 6g fiber, 7g sugar, 24g protein.

And an excellent use of barley it was. Now… what to make with all the oats, quinoa, bulgur and lentils? Well, that’s where you come in.

  • Any good grains recipes for me to try out this weekend? Feel free to link away in the comments section below!
  • Are your cupboards nice and tidy, or could they use a little spring cleaning?
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