Summer Bean And Barley Soup

I’ve been interested in cooking with different grains lately for health reasons, but also for diversity.  We recently rediscovered cracked wheat cereal and it’s not as terrible as I remember when I was a kid.  My cute mom would try to make us eat it, but to no avail!  The mistake she made with that was to have a variety of cold cereals tucked neatly into the cupboards. What sugar-infused kid wouldn’t prefer the artificial rush of manufactured cereal over cracked wheat?  We were good at holding out, that’s for sure! I've wondered what other kinds of grains are out there that I haven’t tried, but want to now!

 I’ve chosen barley as my grain du jour and will be focusing on some recipes here for the next little while.  For one thing, barley is a natural appetite suppressant, keeping you filled up for up to 16 hours, while being tasty and  nutritious. As someone who loves to eat-- and eat a lot--this would be a great weight control tool!  I know from first-hand experience that while it is hard enough to practice portion control when feeling satisfied, it is virtually impossible when hungry! 

Barley has the most fiber of all the grains, which is why you stay feeling fuller, longer.  It may also have anti-diabetes and anti-obesity actions.  Basically, it is eaten like rice, except it takes longer to cook.   Hulled barley is the best, because it has the tough outer shell taken off, but is still not processed other than that.  It’s also best to soak it overnight unless you are cooking it for a long time.

I made a Bean and Barley soup in the crock pot that was really tasty and super easy! It had Parmesan Cheese, bacon and lots of veggies. 

 I actually utilized the rind on the cheese, which is naturally salty, to give it a bit more flavor.  Also, because it's summer, I put my pot outside on a bar stool because I don't want the extra heat inside! That's why it's called Summer Bean and Barley Soup!  Put the pot inside and it becomes Winter Bean and Barley Stew!  See how that works?

Adding the rind to the mix!

Ingredients

1 cup multi-bean mix or Great Northern Beans, rinsed and soaked overnight.

½ cup barley

3 cloves garlic, smashed

3 medium carrots, roughly chopped

2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

½ medium onion, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

4 tsp. dried Italian herb blend

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 14-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes with juice

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 Parmesan cheese rind

Optional: 4 - 5 crisp bacon strips, crumbled, Hot n' Spicy All Purpose Seasoning

Mixture before cooking and adding water

 Directions

Put beans, barley, vegetables and seasonings and cheese rind into a crock pot.  Add 6 cups water, cover, and cook on high until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, which could be 6 – 8 hours. 

1 hour before done, add the tomatoes and stir well.  Just before serving, add the Parmesan and the crumbled bacon.  If you have any Hot 'n Spicy All Purpose Seasoning, you can put that on and it really makes the flavor pop! I use Spike. Serve with a crusty bread and salad.  You'll stay full for quite awhile! 

 

Finished Soup, ready to add condiments

Pinterest Help! #Recipe For Slow Cooker Spinach and Cheese Fritata.

Can I just be honest with you?  Sometimes I feel like the Amelia Bedelia of Cooking, Cleaning and Crafts.  When I try to cook, I usually leave out at least 1 ingredient; when I clean you can come behind me and wonder if I cleaned or left more of a mess, and my crafts are many but few are complete.  I guess that is what Adult ADHD leaves in its wake.  Don't get me wrong, I make some of the best Oatmeal Cookies ever and really, I think that's why my boss keeps me around.  I will occasionally bring some in to work and I am a huge hit for a day!

 As most of you know, I am totally addicted to Pinterest.  If I spent as much time trying out what I pin, I'd have a lot of shiz done.  Unfortunately, I'm unbalanced in my Pinterest addiction.  I mainly pin things that I like, always intending to do it "soon".  But I'm on Spring Break and so I tried out a recipe for a Slow Cooker Spinach and Cheese Frittata.  I modified it slightly (because I'm the Amelia Bedelia of cooking!) It actually turned out very good!  I loved it and ate the whole thing in two different sittings the same day.  After all the whole thing only has 444 calories--that's a whole lot of eggs!  This is what I did:

I put 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil in a pan and fried up 1/2 a large onion, and a clove of garlic until it was tender (around 5 minutes or so)

I then put all of the following plus the ones above together in a bowl and whisked them with a wire whisk--

• 3 whole eggs

• 3 egg whites, you must separate the yolks from the whites! 
  
   
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper

• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tomato, diced

• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced (that was my own little addition)

• 3/4 cup medium chedder cheese (I should have used mozerella, but didn't have any)

• 1 cup (packed) Spinach with stems removed (I should have used baby spinach, but didn't have any)

• 2 Tbsp. 2% Milk (I should have used 1% milk, but you know....I didn't have any)

• Salt To Taste

I greased my huge 6-quart Slow Cooker and put it all in on low for 2 hours.  (I could have easily put it in a 3-quart Slow Cooker, but that's still on my list of things to get.) I loved it!  Unfortunately, I made this a bit too soon after Easter because my dear husband turned up his nose at it because of all the deviled eggs that were eaten over the weekend.  Bummer!  I had to eat it all myself.  And truly, I think I've had my quota of eggs for awhile as well.  This recipe would realistically feed two.  If you want to feed a whole army of kids or people, I would double or triple it! 

  If you want to see the pin and the source I used, click here!  
My rating:
Simple - 10 /10 (Even Amelia Bedelia can handle that one)
Healthy - 7/10 (because of the cheese)
Tasty -  7/10 (without the red bell pepper it would have been very bland, at least to my taste)
Family Appeal - 6/10 (husband turned it down)
Budget Friendly - 7/10 (eggs and cheese, had to throw away 3 yolks, although I'm sure there is something on Pinterest to show me how to use those 3 yolks somewhere else, so I won't waste them!)

I give it an overall rating of 37/50, with simplicity being the most appealing!