On Monday evening, I was having one of those gloriously productive days. I cleaned the whole house, attended to the laundry, grocery shopped, paid the bills for the month, and even did a bit of sewing and mending. None of these grand feats individually, of course, but I fell asleep with the rare and gratifying feeling that I had managed to accomplish all of the items on my immediate to-do list for the day. Until the next morning, that is, when I awakened and suddenly remembered I hadn't written a blog post about the first day of summer. Alas, I suppose one must designate a day to the mundane task of paying the bills once in a while.
So here, at the conclusion of the first week of summer, I offer a jaunty, light supper, perfect for spooning onto a picnic plate and eating in the back yard, sitting cross-legged on the grass, basking in the sunshine... Or for enjoying at your desk, while typing, dreaming of the glories of summer to be had this weekend... Either way, summer is here. Bounteous vegetables are here. And I couldn't be happier.
Stir-Fried Barley
1 cup barley
8 egg whites
4 T 1% milk
1 T olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 T light vegan margarine (such as SmartBalance Light)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
~ Cook the barley according to the package directions, and set aside.
~ Beat together the egg whites and milk until nice and frothy, and set aside.
~ In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, saute the carrots and peas in the olive oil until just crisp-tender.
~ Stir in the egg white mixture, and quickly scramble.
~ Reduce the heat to medium, and add the cooked barley and the vegan marg, tossing quickly until the barley is just heated through.
~ Remove from the heat, and stir in the mozzarella cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm or cool!
Fritz is also very excited, although most of his enthusiasm is likely because of his new toy... :-)
(Soundtrack for the day's commute: Deep Forest, Boheme)
I use to love barley!! But I realized that people that are gluten-intolerant can't eat it so I've been staying away from it. No reason to test things out right? But if I could eat it you know I'd be making this awesome recipe asap.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Friday and a good end to the first week of summer!
Nice recipe.. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe. I've only ever had barley in beer. haha, perhaps I should try it some day!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to answer your question from my blog. Regarding the omega-3 supplements, I think you have to go to their website and order them. I have never seen them in stores.
As for vitamin D, I wouldn't take that much unless you a) don't ever go in the sun b) are over the age of 50 c) your doctor says you have low bone density or d) you don't drink milk or milk products. Vitamin D is a very special vitamin (actually really a hormone) and it does have a lot of benefits, but 5000 IU is a lot, and half of that is just fine. Will 5000 IU hurt you? Probably not. But I wouldn't take my chances. Too much of a good thing can be bad too.
what a great way to enjoy barley!
ReplyDeleteI love barley but had only ever had it with meat. It's so nice to see it in such a delicious looking vegetarian dish! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWe can't have barley but I think this would work with rice or quinoa. It is the perfect side dish. Thanks for linking this to My Meatless Mondays.
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