Well, I never did make it to Body Pump today after all! It turns out that my muscles do not appreciate the Booty Camp DVD after a long time off. I’m quite sore today and opted to give my muscles some time to repair themselves. The body builds muscles quicker when it has time to repair, right?
There is a Body Pump class tomorrow morning that I am hoping to go to to end 2010 with a bang!
In the meantime, I decided some healthy comfort food was in order. This dish blew me away and I think you will love it too! It is really easy to make and the prep work is very minimal. The recipe below makes enough for 4 side servings (~1/2 cup each), but you could easily double it if you wanted to serve it as a main for 4 people. Otherwise, it makes enough for 2 people for dinner.
Or you know…in a pinch, a food blogger who happens to be cooking at 7:30am and wants something for breakfast…
Oh She Glows
Easy Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook.
Yield: ~2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry pot barley
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1.5 cups canned pureed/diced tomatoes (15 oz can)
- 1 cup almond milk (or other milk)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (provides the cheesy/creamy taste)
- 1/2 tbsp Miso, mixed with 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
Directions: Rinse pot barley in a strainer and place into medium sized pot that has a lid. Add olive oil, basil, and oregano and stir well until barley is coated with oil. Turn heat to medium until barley begins to sizzle.
Once the barley sizzles, add in the minced garlic and reduce heat to low-medium. Cook for 1 minute and then add in the tomatoes, milk, water, nutritional yeast, miso, and salt. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil and then cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook, covered (with a bit of air escaping) for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, being careful not to burn the barley on the bottom of the pot.
The mixture should be creamy, but not soupy, and the barley will be very chewy and not mushy. Serve immediately. Serves 4 side dishes and makes 2 cups worth.
Note: I read that it can take 2 hours to cook, but after just 35 minutes, I deemed it ready to eat. If you don’t want it as chewy you could always cook it longer.
This recipe is very easy to make and requires just a few steps!
Mince your clove of garlic and gather your barley, oil, and herbs.
Looking good.
Add the above ingredients into a medium sized pot and heat over medium until the barley begins to sizzle. Now add in the minced garlic and reduce to low heat. Cook for 1 minute.
Gather your canned tomato, milk, water, nutritional yeast, salt, and miso…
The original recipe called for 3 tablespoon of miso, but I thought that was way too much sodium for my liking. I needed only 1/2 a tablespoon and it tasted awesome. The great thing about cooking (as opposed to baking), is that you can always adjust dishes to taste because everyone will prefer different things.
You might be able to get away with leaving the Miso out (if you don’t have any), but make sure to add in more salt to taste.
Add to pot and mix well. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to low.
Cook on low, covered, for about 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to ensure that the barley doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot (it will if you leave it, so be careful!).
The result is a healthy, creamy, chewy, and rich barley risotto that makes the perfect winter dish. No dairy required.
This would make such a great dish to serve on New Year’s day if you are not into the whole black eyed peas thing.
I continue to be blown away by the delicious foods I can eat as a vegan!
The original recipe calls for pearled barley, but I picked up pot barley instead because it is much more nutritious. Not having cooked with either before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I absolutely loved the pot barley’s chewy texture!
From what I understand, pearled barley kernels are polished to remove the double outer hull and the bran layer, which also removes many of the nutrients, sort of like white rice. It cooks much more quickly as a result.
Pot (Scotch) barley, on the other hand, is polished like pearl barley, but to a lesser extent. The kernels are less refined, retaining more of the bran layer and it takes longer to cook, but the outcome is a wonderful chewy texture similar to wheat berries! You can use either pearled or pot barley in this recipe.
It has a great nutty flavour too.
It was love at first creamy bite.




{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks delicious!! Can’t wait to try it!
Oh dear lord, I love this recipe! Thank you!!
this looks so creamy and good!! barley is one of my favorites too!! thanks. I hope you make it to body pump tomorrow! :)
That looks soo good! I do have a couple of questions. We don’t have nutritional yeast or miso, are they neccessary, or are there any subs for these ingredients?
The nutritional yeast is necessary as it gives the creamy/cheesy taste, unless of course, you are going to add in regular cheese, then by all means leave it out.
I only used 1/2 tbsp of the Miso, which makes me think it could be left out, as long as you add more salt to taste (since Miso is so salty you will need to compensate if removed).
Hmmm…
My family loves cheese, so I might just add that……….thanks for the tip! =D
enjoy!
I love chewy grains too – I don’t think I’ve ever tried pot barley, just the pearled kind. This sounds so delicious and yummy! Quick question – where do you buy your miso from? I’ve looked in most grocery stores we have around here and all I can seem to find is packets of miso soup!
I got it at Ontario Natural Food Coop (its a wholesaler), but Ive seen it at whole foods before too. Not sure if Loblaws or other chains carries it? Sometimes you can call your grocery store and request something if they dont carry it.
Yum! I love using barley in risotto.. and with tomato.. yes please.
Gorgeous photos!! This meal is right up my alley. Will have to give it a try next week! I really want to explore more grains and barley is definitely on the list! xo
Mmmm…I am such a fan of risotto! I love the addition of miso here– very interesting!
Oh I love creamy risotto but hate that it’s usually full of butter and fatty cheese – this looks incredible. I want to lick my screen. Angela, you are a genius!
Ummm, delicious?!!!! I’m a huge risotto fan- I never thought of adding another base flavor to the rice, but it sounds divine!
Oh wow, I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love barley! Angela, you rock!
that looks so hearty and delicious!
I want to try body pump too! i just need to decide if i want to rejoin a gym or not… :S
That looks delicious. I really need to start “cooking” and not just “baking”.
OH wow – this looks awesome.
This looks wonderful! And easy to make. :D
Looks perfect and absolutely comforting.
This looks delicious. Seeing as how I have everything on hand it might be tonight’s dinner – just a quick substitution of rice of quinoa for the barley to make it gluten free – hope it’s as delicious as the original looks :-)
Sorry – I meant to say *rice or quinoa
let me know how it turns out…I was wondering about quinoa too!
Looks delicious as always! :)
This is a standard recipe for us from Vegan Yum Yum. So delicious!!
isn’t it soooo good? I was not expecting it to be so delicious.
If that doesn’t look comforting I don’t know what does!!!! :)
this looks super, but I must admit that I might sub parmesan for the nooch ;)
half the fun of cooking is experimenting ;)
Oh my, that looks absolutely decadent. Who knew veganism could make this happen?!
This looks perfect for a sick girl <—- ME!
Hope you feel better soon!
Wow this looks good! It’s refreshing to see such a healthy recipe. I got kind of overwhelmed (in a wonderful way) staring at so many delicious holiday treats over the past month! This looks like a good way to start the new year:)
I have been following your website for almost a year now and I think you have a real talent for expressing yourself and your passions. I can’t wait to see your new resolutions!
I have been following your website for almost a year now and I think you have a real talent for expressing yourself and your passions. I can’t wait to see your new resolutions!
thank you Amy :) All the best in 2011 to you as well!
This looks so yummy! I’ve been looking for ways to use nutritional yeast more often, so I am going to have to try this one for sure. Your photos are beautiful!
That looks amazing! I love how it has miso in it, I’m always looking for new ways to use up that stuff. It’s great spread on sandwiches :) But then again, I have weird taste :P
Oh my, it looks so tomato-y and delicious! I am a sucker for anything tomato so this is right up my alley!
When ever i make risotto it comes out all mushy, is that how it’s supposed to be?
Im not sure…I dont think so? The Pot barley is nice because it takes a LONG time to get mushy and was very chewy in this recipe.
Mmm…tomato risotto sounds delicious! Great recipe, as always!
Love risotto, love nutritional yeast, love barley, love tomatoes… well isn’t this ideal! heehee
haha
oh wow, looks spectacular! I love to cook with gen-mai miso, my absolute fave.
i just had a flashback to my campbell’s tomato soup days.
-Jac
this I will be making! Look so good.
Congrats by the way on ALL your accomplishments of the year. :)
thanks Moni :)
Oh how I love risotto!
You make every recipe look good!
Awesome to see a healthy vegan risotto – a notoriously creamy, cheesy, heavy dish. Can’t wait to make this!
Delicious! Risotto= true love.
Delicious! Risotto= true love.
I have been a long time admirer of your blog, and I continue to be blown away. When most people think “vegan,” they think dry tofu and spinach. You make your meals look so appetizing and rich! Being a vegan looks fun and delicious when you prepare meals. Keep up the great posts!