Barley Bowl

Click Here for the video!

This barley bowl is packed with as much flavor as it is veggies! Even more impressive is that the flavor comes entirely from the veggies themselves instead of using sauces or spice mixes.

Because of that however, there is one ingredient that can significantly impact the outcome of your bowl. Vegetable Broth. The barley will taste like whatever broth you use so if you use cheap broth with a subpar flavor or a broth that tastes strongly of celery, that is what your bowl will taste like. I like making my own vegetable broth for recipes like these and I often make ones very similar to this recipe from Bon Appetite. Because I love the broth, the flavor of my barley is also lovable.

Another useful thing to know when making this recipe is about the leek. I used leek because I had one leftover from another recipe. I found that I really liked the flavor but if you don't have a leek on hand, shallots or yellow onion sliced thin would be nice substitutes. I've used leeks several times now but when I first started there were a few things that confused me about them.

1. You only use the white part. It feels wrong to buy a leek only to throw over half of it away, but that's what happens. I believe some people have found ways to use the green bit of a leek but I am not one. 
2. You must rinse after you cut it. Leeks can have A LOT of dirt hidden between the layers. You can separate the layers and clean each one before cutting but that might make cutting more complicated. I find it easiest to cut first and then thoroughly rinse them to remove the grit.

Aside from that, this recipe is incredibly easy to follow! 

Barley Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup barley
• 1 cup high quality vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp salt (if your broth is salted, skip this)
  
• 5 large brussel sprouts
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 head cauliflower, florets only
• 1 crown broccoli, florets only
• 1 leek, white part only
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 4 tbs olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place the barley, vegetable broth, and salt in a rice cooker and set to cook or cook according to the package directions using broth in place of water.
2. Begin preheating your oven to 475ºF with an empty baking sheet inside.
3. Take the broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl and mix them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and about 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. 
4. Place the oiled veggies on the preheated pan and roast for 20 minutes.
5. Use a mandolin to slice the Brussels sprouts super thin and grate the carrot. Set aside.
6. Slice the leek very thin and rinse to remove any dirt.
7. Put your garlic through a garlic press and combine it with the sliced leek and remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
8. Cook until the leeks are very soft.
9. Once all of the components are cooked and prepped, place them together in a very large bowl and mix thoroughly
10. Transfer to serving bowl and enjoy!