The Superpower of Barley!

by Beth Snipes

Brutus found out the hard way not to mess with a man carrying a can of spinach in his pocket. Making eyes at Olive Oyl was a bad idea. Popeye, Brutus’s rival suitor and average sailor, whipped out his can of his green slimy power source, gulped it down and KAPOW! His wimpy muscles turned to guns of steel, sending Brutus running and Olive swooning. After all, who can resist a man with puffy forearms and calves?

“Popeye the Sailor Man” debuted in 1929 and parents cheered. The cartoon persuaded children to demand spinach, requesting it almost as much as they asked for turkey and ice cream. Obviously, this was before Popeye’s spinach had to compete with sugary and fatty foods television presses on kids today. Popeye had clout! Parents didn’t stand alone against the onslaught of television images.

Every comic book hero had a power up his or her sleeve. Wonder Woman had her golden belt. Gamma rays created The Incredible Hulk, and an irradiated spider made Peter Parker a crime fighter extraordinaire. But what’s a normal person to do? Where do we get our super powers? Well, the best bet is to follow Popeye’s lead – although we can do much better than his canned spinach in our quest for healthy superpower food.

A painless ways to improve your diet is to add veggies and whole grains. I know, I know, you’ve heard this before. You’ve tried. You’ve failed. You’ve tried again. Let me suggest something Popeye never tried: Barley. Yep, let barley help. This nutty, chewy whole grain even makes it easy.

Similar in size to rice, barley has more flavor than white rice, without overwhelming its accompaniments. When you serve barley risotto, you’re dishing up a savory plate of insoluble and soluble fiber and no one is the wiser. An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study showed that barely helps to significantly reduce total cholesterol. An American Heart Association study found the same results. Also, barley is high in the antioxidant selenium, which our immune system needs. It even has twice the fiber and a lower glycemic index than brown rice.

Oh, and one more thing: It’s really good.

If your children, or most likely your husband, think eating healthy foods is a yawn, don’t tell them. Just serve Chicken Barley Chili and watch. If they ask about it, tell them it’s superpower fuel. It really is. Gladiators in Ancient Rome ate it for strength before entering the ring. Even more impressive, it was a favorite in Ancient Egypt, which may answer the long unsolved mystery of how the pyramids were built. It was barley power all along.

CHICKEN BARLEY CHILI

I tweaked the recipe I found on the Quaker Barley box for this family favorite.

• 1 14.5-ounce can of diced stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 16-ounce jar of tomato sauce or salsa
• 1 14.5-ounce can of fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup quick barley
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin or paprika
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
• 1 15-ounce can white whole-kernel corn, undrained
• 3 cups cooked chicken
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Light sour cream or cheddar cheese (optional)

Combine first seven ingredients in a six-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans, corn, and chicken. Bring to a boil , then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes or until barley is tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with light sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired.

CHICKEN BARLEY PILAF

One pan and delicious!

• 2 cups pearl barley
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 6 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 medium leek, sliced (white part and some of the greens)
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 teaspoons cooking oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• salt

Rinse and soak the barley for 20 to 30 minutes; drain.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the barley and cook for 5 or 6 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove barley from pan and set aside.

Season chicken with cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in saucepan and cook chicken until it is no longer pink. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add a teaspoon of oil to the saucepan and stir fry the leek, carrots, and celery for three minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender. Return the chicken and toasted barley to the pan. Add broth and salt, to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the barley is tender.

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

When I was a kid, Campbell’s Beef Barley Soup was one of my favorites. (It still is). I did grow up, though, and now I love this even more.

• 12 ounces beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 14-ounce cans beef broth
• 1 cup chopped onion, (1 large)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup peeled potato, cut into half-inch cubes
• ⅔ cup quick-cooking barley

In a Dutch oven brown meat in hot oil. Stir in broth, onion, celery, oregano, pepper, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 90 minutes. Stir in frozen vegetables, undrained tomatoes, potatoes, and barley and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes more, or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf and serve.

CROCK-POT BARLEY, MUSHROOM, AND CHICKEN

• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
• 2 pounds chicken thighs
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup medium pearled barley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 14½-ounce can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Melt butter in 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add chicken. Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned (5 to 7 minutes). Drain fat.

Place all remaining ingredients in crock-pot and stir. Add chicken thighs. Cover and cook on low setting for 2 to 3 hours or until chicken and barley are tender.

PORK TENDERLOIN BAKE

This is a family favorite. If you have to buy fresh sage, you can freeze the leftover leaves. Wash the sage, pat it dry and remove the stems then pack it loosely in a freezer bag and free. It will keep for a year.

• 4 tablespoon light buttery spread like Smart Balance
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup barley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Melt the light spread in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until slightly soft. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing frequently, until the mushrooms are lightly browned.

Add red bell pepper, barley, salt, sage, pepper, and pork. Stir and add the chicken broth and water.

Stir and cover pot and place in the oven. Check about every 14 minutes to make sure that there is enough liquid. Add water, a half-cup at a time, as needed. Total cooking time will be between 45 minutes and 60 minutes, or until the barley is tender but not sticky.

STUFFED PORTOBELLOS

• 6 medium Portobello mushroom caps
• ⅔ cup 2 percent reduced-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Cooking spray
• ½ cup coarsely chopped carrot
• ½ cup coarsely chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 10-ounce bag fresh spinach
• 1 cup cooked quick-cooking pearl barley
• 1 cup grated extra sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

Preheat broiler.

Using a spoon, remove brown gills from undersides of mushrooms and discard.

Combine milk and flour, whisk until blended. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add carrot and next three ingredients; sauté 5 minutes. Add spinach; sauté 4 minutes or until spinach wilts.

Stir in flour mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cooked barley, 1/2 cup cheese, pepper, and nutmeg; cook 1 minute or until cheese melts. Coat reserved mushroom caps with cooking spray; place on a broiler pan. Broil 5 minutes or until tender. Fill each cap with about ½ cup spinach-barley mixture, pressing firmly to pack. Broil 3½ minutes.

Combine bread crumbs and 1/2 cup cheese; sprinkle evenly on top of each mushroom. Broil 1½ minutes or until cheese melts.

CREAMY BARLEY MUSHROOM RISOTTO

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup pearl barley
•  ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ cup Asiago cheese, grated
• 2  tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the barley, thyme, bay leaf, and 2 cups of the hot broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, simmering until most of the broth is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Pour in remaining broth a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more. This process takes about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté mushrooms in the hot oil until tender. Add garlic and cook for about 3 more minutes. Stir in the barley mixture, cheese, and parsley. Remove bay leaf and serve.