Mexican Barley Pilaf

Submitted by Tarbean

"I got this recipe from Yahoo! Health. It was posted there by miavita. This was very tasty and a nice departure from rice or pasta and a great way to eat whole grains. My husband will not eat beans, so I substituted corn for the black beans and it turned out great. Also, I was too lazy to chop onion and used some dried minced onion instead. I didn't have jalapenos on hand and still wanted the heat, so just added some red pepper flakes along with the other spices."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon seeded and finely chopped jalapeno (optional)
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1⁄2 cups water
• 16 ounces can black beans
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

directions

1. Spray medium saucepan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and jalapenos, if using. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
2. Add barley and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin and salt. Add water and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
4. Add black beans and cilatro; toss to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes to warm beans. Serve warm.

Reviews

[chef313633]

VERY GOOD WE LIKE BARLEY AND THIS IS A NICE NEW RECIPE. I USED A CAN OF THE SOUTHWESTERN MEXICORN WITH THE BLACK BEANS ALREADY IN IT. THANKS FOR POSTING.

 

[lauralie41]

I love barley so this was a tasty side dish for me but DH wasnt as happy with it as I was. We dont care for black beans so I added dark red kidney beans and parsley instead of cilantro. I think next time I will use a can of drained petite diced tomatoes and corn like the chef had mentioned in the recipe description and maybe DH will enjoy a bit more. Anyway, I thought this was great!