Wild Mushroom-Barley Soup.

 Another Rachael Ray....

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms

1 quart vegetable stock

3 cups water

3/4 pound cremini mushroom caps, wiped clean and quartered or sliced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 leeks, trimmed, sliced, washed and dried or 2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons fresh sage, very thinly sliced
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 15-ounce can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup pearl barley
1 bunch kale or dinosaur kale, leaves stripped from stems
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

3 tablespoons fresh sage, very thinly sliced

splash of liquid smoke (optional)

Place dried mushrooms in a medium pot with stock and 3 cups of water. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat add mushrooms and bay leaf. Cook 10-12 minutes to soften and darken the mushrooms. Add leeks or onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes more. There should be enough water from the mushrooms for it to not stick, if not, add some water. Add sage, rosemary and tomatoes.

Remove softened dried mushrooms from the stock and chop. Add them along with their cooking liquids to the soup pot, taking care to leave behind any grit from the mushrooms. Stir in barley and kale, add a little freshly grated nutmeg. Bring soup to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Add splash of liquid smoke. Cook 20 minutes.

Taste to adjust seasonings and serve in shallow bowls.

Belly Biters

Ava - not.a.chance, Nolan & Coco - tore.it.up, Shayne & I - liked it

Tender Barley Cornbread.

This cornbread is awesome. Super healthy and super fast. It's our new staple. I just ground barley up in my food processor instead of buying overpriced barley flour. Plus, I love the texture the little pieces that don't get quite so ground give.  When it's all done baking, while it's still warm, I spread a little agave nectar, maple syrup or honey on top to sweeten it a little more.

3/4 cup yellow stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 cup barley flour (grind some barley in the blender)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (regular or pastry flour)
2 tablespoons sugar (or a tad shy of 2 T. agave nectar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat the oven to 425*F. Whisk together the cornmeal, barley and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the milk and applesauce and stir just until mixed. Scrape into and 8" x 8" nonstick baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cut the hot cornbread into squares. (or put in sprayed muffin tins)

Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes, pg 195

Peach Crumble.

I've been wanting to make this for about forever... but always forgetting the kuzu when I was at a health food store. We were celebrating 2 birthdays, the super bowl was upon us... My parents, my sister and her family were coming over... so, I said forget it... and just subbed arrowroot.

SO glad I did... and I think they were too. It was quickly gone and everyone wanted more. I put a dollop of whipped cashew cream on top... yum....

When I made it the first time, there was way too much topping for fruit... so, I saved the topping and made it again later that week. The next time I make I'll either double the fruit or half the topping... just depending on what I need it for. Also, the second time around I swapped the blueberries with raspberries and loved it even more. SO good.

2 1/2 - 3 cups peaches, sliced fresh or thawed frozen
1 cup organic blueberries
1 3/4 cups apple juice
2 tablespoons kuzu, arrowroot or corn starch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of fine sea salt

topping
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups barley flour, spelt flour, brown rice flour, or sweet rice flour {just grind in the blender until it's fine}
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup safflower/coconut oil
3/4 cup brown rice syrup/date syrup
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Combine the peaches and blueberries in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the apple juice in a small bowl, and heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups in a small saucepan. Place the kuzu in a small bowl, and add in the reserved apple juice. Let the kuzu mixture sit for about 10 seconds so that the kuzu can dissolve into the liquid. Stir with a fork, and immediately whisk he kuzu mixture and the lemon juice into the hot apple juice, stirring continually to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the vanilla extract and the salt. Pour over the peaches and blueberries in the pan.

To make the topping, dry-roast the oats, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Heat the oil and syrups together in a separate pan, then pour over the flour mixture and mix well. Stir in the nuts.

Crumble the topping over the fruit, then cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake 15 to 25 minutes longer or until the topping is golden and the fruit filling bubbles a little. Cool crumble for about 30 minutes before serving.

The Kind Diet

Alicia Silverstone

serves 4 to 6

page 194

Soyrizo Black Bean Soup with Tender Barley Cornbread

This is one of the first recipes I converted over to our new lifestyle diet. We all love it, and there's never any leftovers. If you want the "real deal", check it out here on Lugubrious Delights or straight from Racheal Ray herself.

1 pound soyrizo (i get it at Sprouts)
1 small onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
4 14-ounce cans black beans, drained
3/4 to 1 quart vegetable stock, depending on desired thickness
1 ripe avocado
1 lime, cut in wedges
1/2 cup (about a handful) flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, chopped

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add some water to thinly cover the bottom and add the soyrizo. Cook until cooked through (see package instructions for cooking details), about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.

Add some more water to the pan to thinly cover and add the onion, garlic, serrano peppers, smoked paprika, salt and ground black pepper to the pan, and cook until the onions are tender, 5-6 minutes. Keep any eye on the water, add more to prevent sticking and to keep steam-frying.

Add the black beans and vegetable stock to the pan, and bring the liquids up to a bubble. Ladle a couple of scoops of the soup into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir in the soyrizo. 

Serve the soup topped with avocado, a squirt of lime juice and cilantro. YUM!

BELLY BITERS:

all love, love, love this one!

Tender Barley Cornbread

This cornbread is awesome. Super healthy and super fast. It's our new staple. I just ground barley up in my food processor instead of buying overpriced barley flour. Plus, I love the texture the little pieces that don't get quite so ground give.  When it's all done baking, while it's still warm, I spread a little agave nectar on top to sweeten it a little more.

3/4 cup yellow stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 cup barley flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (regular or pastry flour)
2 tablespoons sugar (or a tad shy of 2 T. agave nectar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup reduced-fat soy milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat the oven to 425*F. Whisk together the cornmeal, barley and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the soy milk and applesauce and stir just until mixed. Scrape into and 8" x 8" nonstick baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cut the hot cornbread into squares.

Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes, pg 195

BELLY BITERS:

all love, love, love this one!