Lemon Barley Soup

Minoo prepared three recipes to share at the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen.

051

The first recipe is a simple Lemon Barley Soup. This is a vegetarian soup which provides a good source of fiber and protein from the barley grain and lentil.

Serve the soup with a squeeze of lemon to it. The lemon adds some tanginess to the soup which made it quite refreshing.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lentil
  • 1 cup barley
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • salt and pepper to taste

002

Source: Minoo via South Arm Community Kitchen

(more…)

Continue ReadingLemon Barley Soup

Mushroom and Barley Soup

Minoo prepared a hearty Mushroom and Barley Soup for her vegetarian theme recipes in the Gilmore Park Church community kitchen.

Mushroom-and-Barley-Soup12

The Mushroom and Barley Soup is a delicious and healthy dinner option. It can be a quick meal if you can find the quick cooking barley which is pre-steamed and takes only 10 minutes to cook.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/4 pounds white or brown (cremini) mushrooms, trimmed, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
  • a splash of milk

Mushroom-and-Barley-Soup1

Source: this recipe is adapted from Everyday Food.

Makes 4 large servings

Please note that the broth should be vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

(more…)

Continue ReadingMushroom and Barley Soup

Lentil, Barley and Brown Rice Salad with Dates and Feta

Minoo prepared three recipes for the Gilmore Park Church community kitchen. Two of the recipes were taken from Vancouver Sun.

The recipes include a Lentil, Barley and Brown Rice Salad with Dates and Feta, a Butternut Squash Gratin with Parmesan Sage Breadcrumbs and a Ginger Pumpkin Muffin recipe.

Lentil-Barley-and-Brown-Rice-Salad-7

The combination of grains and legumes in the Lentil, Barley and Brown Rice Salad with Dates and Feta provides a complete protein meal. It is easy to pack for lunch or picnic.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (80ml) brown rice
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) pearl or pot barley
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) dry green or brown lentils
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) crumbled feta
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) chopped dates, figs or apricots
  • 1 to 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) olive or canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) red wine vinegar or lemon juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lentil-Barley-and-Brown-Rice-Salad-1

Source: Vancouver Sun

Makes 6 servings

(more…)

Continue ReadingLentil, Barley and Brown Rice Salad with Dates and Feta

Mushroom, Barley and Lentil Soup

With the grain theme in mind, Minoo prepared a Mushroom, Barley and Lentil Soup in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen.

Mushroom-Barley-Lentil-Soup-10

The Mushroom, Barley and Lentil Soup is a one pot meal that are very hearty and certainly very filling. Minoo made it rather thick and it’s more like a porridge to me. This will be a vegetarian dish if you use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups good chicken or beef stock
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 1 cup mixed lentils
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced carrot
  • 1 cup diced parsnip
  • 1/2 cup cloud ear fungus, reconstituted and chopped
  • 1 pound fresh button mushroom (or any kind of your preference), sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dill, chives or parsley, chopped

Mushroom-Barley-Lentil-Soup-1

Please note: parsley should be in place of the cilantro; ingredient got mixed up.

Source: this recipe is adapted from Kevin Turner

(more…)

Continue ReadingMushroom, Barley and Lentil Soup

Herbed Lentil and Barley Soup

June and Linda, voluntered to lead the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors for this cooking session while Family Services is in the midst of finding someone to lead the kitchen after Charlene goes on a greener pasture.

Herbed-Lentil-Barley-Soup-5-600x400

The first dish led by June is called Herbed Lentil and Barley Soup. This is a healthy soup which is easy to make and delicious at the same time. Lentils which comes in red, green or brown are very high in fibre and folic acid. The soup is thick and almost resembles a stew. This is a great vegetarian alternatives. It’s is inexpensive and it freezes well as most soup.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil like canola
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley flakes (or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley)
  • 1/2 cup green or brown lentils (which holds their shape better when cooked)
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/4 cup pearl barley
  • 1 14oz (398ml) tin chopped tomatoes, with juice
  • lemon slice (optional)
  • salt and ground pepper to taste
  • 1 baguette
  • olive oil
  • garlic for rubbing baguette

Herbed-Lentil-Barley-Soup-1-600x400

Source: this recipe is adapted from Mohinder Sidhu

Prep time:  30 minutes; Cook time: 1 1/2 hours;  Serves 4

(more…)

Continue ReadingHerbed Lentil and Barley Soup

Barley Yogurt Soup

Barley Yogurt Soup is the third middle eastern dish demonstrated by Minoo in the South Arm Community Kitchen. This is a Turkish dish which is commonly served as breakfast or with main meal.

Barley-Yogurt-Soup-6-600x400

The Barley Yogurt Soup is thick and creamy and it resembles oatmeal porridge.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
  • 1 cup barley
  • salt to taste
  • 3 cups plain yogurt
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 small handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Kirmizi biber or paprika

Barley-Yogurt-Soup-1-600x400

Source: adapted from food network

Prep time: 10 minutes;  Cook time: 30 minutes; Serve 8

(more…)

Continue ReadingBarley Yogurt Soup

Hearty Bean and Barley Soup

I did not get to taste this Hearty Bean and Barley Soup in the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors as Charlene made this second soup for the seniors to bring home. A mixture of kidney beans and spinach give this soup a triple-punch of nutrition in the form of iron, fiber, and calcium. You can also vary this soup by adding shredded chicken or different vegetables.

Bean-Barley-Soup-5-600x400

This is a great soup to freeze in 1 or 2 cups portions to reheat for the future. If you intend to freeze it, do not add the spinach. You may add the spinach just before you serve the soup after reheating. You may need to add an extra half cup to one cup of water to the leftovers, since the barley will continue to absorb liquid over time.

Ingredients

  • 1 (19 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dry rosemary, minced
  • 2 boxes less-sodium chicken broth (8 cups broth)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 16 ounces bag spinach
  • 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese to serve, optional

Bean-Barley-Soup-1-600x400

Paul, Chris O’Brennam and Marcel made this hearty soup adapted from Cooking Light.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 50 mins

(more…)

Continue ReadingHearty Bean and Barley Soup

Barley Chicken Stew

It’s Mona and my turn to demonstrate in the South Arm Community Kitchen. Mona made a German dish called Barley Chicken Stew for the main dish while I made Malaysian Fruit Rojak for dessert. I had blogged about the Fruit Rojak here.

barleystew-10

The Fruit Rojak was accepted well even though it is a little too spicy for some of the members in the group despite I did not add Thai chili to the dish. The only problem is the confusion of the origin of the dish where I kept hearing people saying Thai or Indonesian when they mentioned about the rojak.

barleystew-12

The Barley Chicken Stew is a very hearty meal and it’s very filing too. It’s a great dish for cold weather.

barleystew-20

Another new member of the kitchen, Jane, brought some corn meal muffin to share with us. Jane was a school teacher for 25 years, teaching cooking in school. We hope she will share with us many of her culinary skills.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pearl barley, soak in water or broth overnight
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 to 3 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 litre chicken broth
  • 150g cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion and parley each
  • a pinch of tumeric
  • a pinch of chili flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

barleystew-25

Mona made her own chicken broth with chicken bones and she added tumeric to the chicken broth for colour. Mona also bought organic pearl barley for about $5 per kilo from Galloway which is just 30% more expensive than regular ones. She also brought her own frozen chopped green onion and parsley which she planted in her garden during summer.

Click on Read More for the instructions.

(more…)

Continue ReadingBarley Chicken Stew