Snowy Owls and Mushroom Barley Soup

I never realized all the time I would have on my hands after becoming an empty-nester. Time for reading, piano and walking. Time for lunches with girlfriends, late movies with Tim, and long TV series on Netflix.  ( can anyone say ‘House of Cards’?)

I really wanna see one of these guys...I found this one on the internet. 

And speaking of time, today after church, Tim and I spent 2 hours driving around looking for Snowy Owls. TWO HOURS. Now, before you write me off as crazy, please understand that the beautiful Snowy Owl has decided to make the northern United States his home this winter, and he’s usually an arctic bird, so it’s pretty special to see one way down here in Michigan. 

*ALL* my friends have seen them. 

*EVERYONE* has a great photo on their phone of their favorite owl sighting. 

Supposedly you can see them *EVERYWHERE*….. So we decided to see for ourselves. ….. and of course…..we saw NONE. … Not one….

But we did see some pheasants.

And this HUGE hawk.

And this Merlin.

We had to settle for this plastic owl.

 Too much time on my hands? Maybe....  

Extra time also means I get to perfect recipes. Here is a re-make of an excellent Mushroom Barley Soup. Same recipe as I posted previously, but I added dill and lots of lemon juice at the end. Also a dollop of sour cream. Still soup weather up here.... 

Warm Mediterranean Barley Salad

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Question: Is barley the unsung hero of the grain world?

Here’s what you need:

1 ½ C pearl barley

3 C water plus more if it needs it

1 C garbanzo beans (or more to taste)

½ C Kalamata olives, chopped

¼ C pine nuts

½ C onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ C lemon juice

3 T olive oil, plus more for the pan

2 T red wine vinegar

1 t cumin

½ t coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

4 C baby kale, stemmed and cut in small pieces

Here’s what you do:

Bring 3 C water to boil in a big pot. Add the barley and 1 t salt. Bring back to boil, lower to simmer, cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes. I had to add more water a few times. When the barley is tender and most of the liquid is gone, set it aside.

Make the dressing by whisking together: lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper.

 In a large skillet, warm 1 T olive oil and sauté the onions, garbanzos and pine nuts. When the onions are tender, add the garlic and olives. (This is the most wonderful combination of flavors and aromas!)

When the barley is almost done, stir in the kale, cover and allow to cook for about 5 more minutes.

To finish the salad, mix everything together well. Serve warm.

(printable recipe)

Spiced Potatoes with Lentils and Barley

I love this type of salad. Chewy and toothsome. Flavorful and healthy. Plus, there’s a lot of lemon in the recipe, and that’s always a plus. This could be served as a side dish or as an entrée with a salad or vegetable on the side. This recipe comes from Veggie.Num.Num and can also be found on the Meatless Monday website.  My changes are reflected below. 

Here’s what you need:

1 C regular barley, soaked for at least 2 hours in water

1 C dried brown lentils, rinsed

1 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed

1 ¼ lb new potatoes or other small waxy potatoes

2 t paprika

2 C vegetable broth

½ C water

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

1 C frozen peas

½ C chopped Italian parsley, chopped

Here’s what you do:

Soak the barley for at least 2 hours in plenty of water. Drain the water and place barley in a large pot or Dutch oven.

Bring 1 ½ C water to a boil. Add the lentils and boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat, simmer for 15-25 minutes, or until tender. When the lentils are done, drain off any remaining water, season with salt and add to the barley.  

Heat oil in pan. Sautee the garlic and jalapeno pepper. Remove and add to the lentils and barley.

Add a bit more oil and the whole potatoes to the pan and fry the potatoes until brown, about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle them generously with paprika. Remove them to the lentil-barley mixture.

Add the veggie stock, water, lemon juice and bring the entire mixture to a boil. Turn down, simmer for about 20 -25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. You may cover this and let it sit for a while to absorb all the goodness.

Add the lemon zest, peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

(printable recipe) 

Porcini Barley Soup

Dear Readers, You might be interested to click back to my last post and share a meatless meal in my link up.   Let's share some tasty meal ideas for Meatless Mondays. 

This recipe comes from The Cooking Channel website. You can check it out here, but I think you would be better just to follow my directions…..not that I’m such a great cook, but the directions and method are filled with mistakes over there! Like, they never actually put the porcini mushrooms in the soup! Also, they recommend ¼  C butter and 6 Tablespoons of oil….yuck. Way too much.  So read on, dear follower, and prepare to experience a culinary delight.

(ps – a dollop of sour cream on this soup when you serve it would be great....Also, maybe a sprinkle or two of dill….maybe a squeeze or two of lemon juice to brighten the flavors right at the end…. )

Here’s what you need:

1 C (1 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms

1 T olive oil

3 small shallots, minced

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ - 1 t dried thyme

½ C white wine

2 quarts vegetable broth  (Use the best quality. You may also use beef or chicken broth here)

½ C pearl barley

Salt and pepper

¾ pound potatoes, peeled and diced

Here’s what you do:

Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 C boiling water for 1 hour.  When they are soft, cut them in small pieces.  Reserve the liquid for the soup.

Sauté the onions, shallots, garlic and thyme in the olive oil until soft but not brown. Add the wine, broth, barley, mushrooms and the entire 2 Cups of mushroom infused water. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.

Add the cubed potatoes and cook for another 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(printable recipe)

Cold Mediterranean Barley Salad

Last winter I went through a kind of barley craze. I made a fantastic Barley Mushroom Soup and also a Barley Mushroom Bake. (Sounds like a mushroom craze as well.) As a result, I have two boxes of unused barley sitting in my pantry.

I take much pride in the fact that I often create great meals using only pantry ingredients. In fact, a game I play with myself is to see how long I can go without grocery shopping – you know, clean out the freezer and the pantry and use every last veggie in the fridge. So when I was faced with using some of the barley, I stood up to the challenge.

Of course, living in the age of the internet and with the plethora of excellent food blogs, it’s not much of a challenge to find a decent recipe these days. This one comes from someone on allrecipes.com and I tweaked it to my taste by adding pine nuts and almonds – both from my pantry and screaming to be used up!

This salad is excellent! Surprisingly good! The dressing would be killer on pasta or even a garden salad for that matter. I wish I had had feta cheese - it would have been the perfect addition!

Here’s what you need:

1 C barley (I used the quick cooking type)

7 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil

2 cloves garlic

2 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

½ C chopped cilantro

1 x 4 oz can chopped black olives

Pine nuts

Feta, if you have it!

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the barley according to the package. Allow to cool.

Make the dressing by blending the tomatoes, garlic, oil, and vinegar until smooth. Spoon over barley. Add the olives, cilantro, nuts and feta, if you have it! Mix well. Drizzle with more olive oil before serving. 

(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: Tracy's Red Pepper Sauce 

Two Years Ago: Spinach Lasagna 

Baked Barley with Onions and Mushrooms – an anchor to my day

Dinner is an anchor to my day. Even when my husband is gone on a business trip, I must have a serious and satisfying meal at the end of my day. It gives me something to look forward to during the day. It starts the evening on the right foot.

Sometimes when my husband travels, we here at home resort to frozen pizza or scrambled eggs; peanut butter toast or Jimmie Johns; cheese and crackers or chips and salsa - -- alright, let me be honest - - sometimes I stand at the fridge randomly eating out of various containers... but these foods don’t anchor me down. These meals (NON-meals, really)  leave me dissatisfied; wanting more.

I am currently in a ‘barley phase’ – I made the most awesome Barley Porcini Mushroom soup (recipe here)  last week and also Vegetable Barley soup. (recipe on the back of the barley box).  Last night I baked it. So good.

Sautee lots of onions and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. Add in 1 C barley and continue sautéing for about 10 minutes. Season liberally with salt and pepper.  Add 3 C boiling vegetable broth. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 – 60 minutes.

I ate mine with sautéed zucchini and a tiny bit of leftover homemade pizza sauce.  Talk about an anchor meal.