Barley, Spinach & Fig Bowl is a salad, a side or an amazing meal in just one bowl!
I love this meal in a bowl thingy…
This is the year of the BOWL… smoothie bowls, veggie bowls and grain bowls… all you need for a satisfying healthy meal in just one bowl. Amazing!
After a month of indulging in cookies, cakes, dips and rich holiday treats, I like to get back to healthy eating in January. That calls for lots of grains and veggies.
I could eat this Barley, Spinach & Fig Bowl every day, it is totally yummy. Full of good-for-you stuff like barley, spinach, cremini mushrooms and dried fig, it’s the perfect vegetarian lunch or dinner.
Step aside quinoa, it’s time barley got it’s time in the grain spotlight. They’re not a sponsor, but I have to give a shout out to a product I love: PC Black Label Barley Blend. It’s a chewy, nutty and earthy combination of hulless barley with glossy black barley that does not need to be pre-soaked, cooking in 45 minutes. I love the flavour and look of the contrasting combination of black and regular barley, what an awesome grain medley.
The interesting part about this Barley, Spinach & Fig Bowl is I am not sure what it is. Is it served cold as a salad or warm as a side dish or either way as a main dish? OMG it’s all three… I’m a genius!
Have you tried figs lately? They are best fresh, but here in Ontario you may have to grab the dried ones that are around all year. Figs are lusciously sweet and feature a complex texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds. Figs are a good source of dietary fiber, and a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps to control blood pressure. That makes my tummy happy!
- 1 cup barley (I used PC Black Label Barley Blend), cooked to package directions
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- ¾ cup red onion, diced
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp thyme
- zest of one lemon
- ⅓ tsp salt and black pepper
- ½ cup sun-dried figs, chopped
- juice of ½ lemon
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
- Heat canola oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, thyme, zest of lemon, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and stir in cooked barley, figs and juice of ½ lemon.
- Add spinach and stir just to wilt.
- Stir in cheese and pine nuts. Garnish with sliced green onion.
Lori loves to create simple and delicious meals that are ready in 30 minutes or less!
Mmmm.. Adding to my lunch menu for this week! Barley has such a great texture. I’ll have to try this PC blend 🙂
Just printed the Recipe and will be trying it soon. Will be shopping tomorrow