This Breakfast Pineapple and Pearl Barley Pilaf will fuel up your morning!
One of the nice things about the change of weather (which hasn’t happened in full force yet here in Northern Virginia, but the temps have definitely started to cool down pleasantly), is that there are less bugs.
Now, let me say, although ants in my kitchen are enough to send me into a two-hour cleaning frenzy and I really can’t do camping because of how much I hate the fact that I can never just get clean, bugs never really bothered me much. That is, until I got to Virginia. Here we might as well be in the Australian Outback, or at least in Texas (where supposedly everything is bigger).
In the summer we have carpenter bees, which are almost mutant-like in how huge they are if you’ve never seen them before (they can be up to 1 inch long!), and giant wolf spiders, which are just as freakishly scary as they sound (especially if you’re home alone when it decides to come out…and in the split second that you see it, you know you need to make a decision: either run like heck into the other room where it could potentially follow you – and eat you, for all you know because they really are that massive – or man up and trap it in a Tupperware container and hope the thing doesn’t die before hubby comes home). So yeah, we aren’t strangers to scary wildlife.
While bugs leave us alone a little more, the downside of the weather cooling off is that mice tend to come inside to warm up. Last winter a teensy tiny little gray mouse made the mistake of coming inside…little did the poor thing know that we have a cat. Our cat had the mouse in her mouth and I thought it was a dustball or something. I was grossed out enough by the idea of a dustball in the cat’s mouth, so I asked Mike to get it from her. That’s when he noticed it wasn’t a dustball; he thought it was a mouse-shaped cat toy so he picked it up, realized that it was a live mouse, and promptly took it outside. Like I said, the poor little thing, lol.
No matter what the weather is outside, it seems as though we always have animal friends coming inside to visit, so I might as well enjoy the cooler temps. Fall is absolutely my favorite time of year for so many reasons, and it’s right about now that I start craving more filling breakfasts like Creamy Wheat Berry Porridge with Gingered Blueberry Topping and Carrot Cake Oatmeal. This Breakfast Pineapple and Pearl Barley Pilaf is nice because it’s hearty in a stick-to-your-ribs kind-of way, but it’s served chilled so it’s appealing even if it’s hot outside.
Here pineapple, almond, and fresh mint combine with pearl barley and a flavorful vanilla-honey dressing. It’s a great way to get a healthy grain into your diet early in the day. You know, to give you the energy you need to run from all the crazy wildlife. ;)
- 3 cups (710 ml) water
- 1 cup (200 g) pearl barley (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
- ½ cup toasted almonds, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, plus more for garnish if desired
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add the barley and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to simmer, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool.
- Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl. Toss in the cooled barley, pineapple, almonds, and mint.
- Serve the pilaf chilled, and store the leftovers refrigerated up to 3 days.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Joanne says
September 13, 2015 at 5:07 pmI think the most “insect”ness I can handle is ants and fruit flies…anything more and I am a total baby! Definitely glad that they are going into hibernation. And glad for more hearty breakfasts like this pilaf! Love the fruity flavors!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
September 15, 2015 at 8:33 amI still haven’t got round to making my own pearl barley, but I’m always on the look out for new breakfast recipes, so I’ll have to try this!
Brandy M says
September 15, 2015 at 12:38 pmNever thought about putting these together, but it would truly be a great mix! I love how creative you are and adveturous with cooking you are!
Maris (In Good Taste) says
September 15, 2015 at 5:33 pmSo creative — sounds great. Pineapple always tastes so refreshing
fabiola@notjustbaked says
September 16, 2015 at 1:30 pmSuch a creative and lovely breakfast. Perfect for a cold morning!
Steph @ Steph in Thyme says
September 16, 2015 at 1:45 pmOh gosh I remember the wolf spiders in Virginia. Haunted my dreams! AH!
I love a hot breakfast, and this is right up my alley with the fresh fruit and vanilla sauce. Oh so yum.
P.S. Gorgeous styling, love that yellow linen and spoons!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
September 17, 2015 at 8:00 pmI absolutely adore barley and this is such a great idea!
cristina says
September 18, 2015 at 9:58 amOk, you’re freaking me out about the summer bugs – haven’t seen them out here like carpenter bees or wolf spiders! :)
Your beautiful breakfast pilaf with the pearl barley is a kind of rice pudding – what a great idea using it that way. Pinning and inspired!!
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says
September 18, 2015 at 12:29 pmThis looks suuuuuuper hearty. I would probably double or triple that dressing and drizzle it on ALL the breakfast things.
Cynthia/What A Girl Eats says
September 19, 2015 at 8:40 pmwhat a great looking change of pace breakfast!