I have some exciting news, Dear Readers! You might have noticed the Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection Member badge on the right sidebar – I’m happy to announce that I’ve partnered with Cooking Light and a couple times a month I’ll be sharing some of their fantastic recipes and food-related articles.
Get ready to be inspired, in a very healthy/delicious way…
Now that spring has arrived, I’ve been looking for fresh ideas to spring clean my go-to sides…when I found a recipe for barley pilaf I couldn’t wait to give it a try.
I’m not going to share the full recipe here because I hardly made any changes to it at all. The original recipe (Barley Pilaf with Sautéed Mushrooms) calls for sautéed button mushrooms, but to give this dish more of a springtime flair I went with peas instead. (I used frozen peas that I thawed – I just stirred them in at the end along with the parsley; you could use blanched fresh peas instead of frozen if you prefer.) In addition to peas, I would have also added some chopped fresh mint if I had it on hand. Or I think asparagus would have been fantastic. (I still used the porcini mushrooms that the recipe calls for – their earthy, umami flavor was the perfect compliment for the nuttiness of the barley.)
It was a lovely side, very hearty and earthy, but still with a springtime touch. If you’re planning to serve lamb for a springtime fête (or for Easter dinner!), I think this dish would be a perfect addition to the meal.
What are some of your favorite side dishes? Please feel free to share in the comments, and leave a link if you want!
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Congrats!! Very cool!! Pearl barley is so yummy. This reminds me of a risotto like dish
Healthy and tasty! A great combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
I’ve been looking for new ideas for sweet potatoes…any suggestions?
Duckie, I love sweet potatoes too! A few of my favorite ways to eat them are baked (topped with butter and brown sugar), mashed, cut into French fries and roasted, in curry, and pureed in soup. I just recently used sweet potato to make baked sweet potato chips in the oven for the first time — it was delicious! :)
Omg omg that’s great news Faith :) I really like your healthy recipes and how you always manage to make healthy food look and be so delicious ~ I just need to find away to make Mr Bao eat more healthy foods with me hahaha even though I’m not really a good role model either ~
I love this dish – hearty enough to be filling but also so suitable for spring! I really want to try cooking with pearl barley as I haven’t before.
That is fabulous Faith – Congrats!!
Even though we’re going into Autumn now this looks absolutely perfect for the weather that we’re having now Faith! :D
This is so funny, Faith, as I was typing in the security code, I was already imagining my enthusiastic comment to you and I put an exclamation point at the end of it!! You know me, I love my exclamation points. :) Anyway, congrats on partnering with Cooking Light-that’s exciting! I just bought some barley but it’s not pearl-the package says it takes 1 1/2 hours to cook! Ouch. It might still work here, not sure, maybe the mushrooms would be overcooked by the end. My favorite side dishes are usually roasted or steamed veggies-I’m not very creative or fancy with the sides, usually. Boring! lol
I love barley,and the addition of peas makes this dish so Spring-like.
Congrats on the Cooking Light gig.
If you allow me to place a few shavings of Parmiggiano cheese on top…I’m up for a place at your table Faith ;o)
Cooking Light has just scored big time with a dedicated foodie like you…congrats!
Have a great day and flavourful wishes,
Claudia
THings I love Peas, Porcinis and yes…. barley. A lovely recipe
That sounds like a great partnership! This dish looks delicious. I like the combination of the earthy mushrooms with the sweet peas. I have been trying to come up with more creative side dishes – this one is a must try.
A healthy and tasty treat! Love it.
I just “discovered” a lot of great stuff in my pantry like quinoa, spelt and barley that I had forgetten about. I am determined to use them up within the next few weeks so as not to waste them so your recipe comes at a perfect time.
Congrats on the Cooking Light collaboration. Very cool!
I have a real soft spot for barley- I just love that hearty, toothsome grain. Now that I have a pressure cooker, it doesn’t take forever to cook it, too. This recipe looks so good, I want to drop everything and start it cooking right this minute!
Congrats! Of course I adore Cooking Light and they couldn’t have landed a better person to partner with! Happy for you, Faith!
Congrats! Your recipes always look so, so tasty! I just made a lighter side dish too – healthier potatoes au gratin with a cauliflower puree: http://thescrumptiouspumpkin.com/2012/03/23/healthier-potatoes-au-gratin/
Congratulations…how fun :) This looks so delicious, love the switch with the peas…very spring :)