Barley Bliss Bowl

Tonight’s dinner was so yummy that I’ve decided to share it with you right away and will get back to a few other recipes that I have on the back burner (I promise to  share with you later this week—tomato veggie soup and snicker doodles!). I had planned on it making about 6 servings, and I would be stretching it to say that it served 4!  We ate almost all of it tonight! I think I have enough for one more serving tomorrow and I can’t wait!

So, what is this delicious meal? I’ll call it Barley Bliss Bowl—a heaping bowl of barley, garbanzos, kalamata olives, kale, and lemon juice, with a few other goodies. My friend Kristin shared a recipe with me last week, and then I changed about half of the ingredients to make my own winterized version. The original recipe is served more like a salad and I’ll definitely be trying it out when we return to warmer weather. But since I can hear the cold Seattle rain pounding on my deck right now I know that won’t be for a long while. Let’s stick to this warm cozy version for now!

Barley Bliss Bowl
1 ½ c pearled barley
3 c water
1 ½ c garbanzos
½ c sliced kalamata olives
¼ c pine nuts
¼ c diced shallots (I used 2 small)
a handful of garlic cloves, I used 5 or 6
zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 T olive oil, plus more for pan
2 T white wine vinegar
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
4 cups baby kale, or large leaf kale stemmed and cut small (I use the giant bag of Earthbound Farm organic baby kale from Costco)

Bring 3 c water to a boil in a pot that is bigger than what you need for just the barley. Add barley to boiling water with a tablespoon of salt and bring back up to boil. Lower to a simmer and cover. Let cook for about 35-45 minutes, until barley is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

In the meantime, whisk together your dressing ingredients—lemon zest, juice, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the shallot in olive oil. Add the garbanzos and “toast” a bit. Add the garlic, olives, and pine nuts and cook a bit more, until nuts are toasted and garlic is cooked.

When barley is mostly cooked (within a minute or two of being done) add the kale on top and give it a quick stir. Cover again and let sit for about 5 minutes, allowing the kale to wilt. It will seem like you have WAY too much, but you don’t. Remove lid and add the garbanzo mixture. Pour the dressing on top and give it a good stir. Allow it to cook for about 5 more minutes over low heat allowing all of the flavors to meld together.

Serve in a large bowl, and garnish with parsley if you want a fancy touch! This is so warm, creamy, and comforting—barley is one of my favorite grains! Hope you love this as much as we did!