Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens

It takes a lot for a recipe to make it into my regular repertoire. As the years go by, it seems that there are more and more hurdles a dish has to jump over before I’ll make it on a consistent basis.

In grad school, my criteria were delicious, quick and easy (though during exam time,  ‘not moldy yet’ would suffice.)  As I grew up, started experimenting and became more health conscious, ‘healthy’ and ‘versatile’ crept up the list. When I got married and had to actually cook on a regular basis, ‘ingredients that are already in the pantry’  and ‘freezes well’ became big ones. And now, with the birth of little M., I’ve added ‘baby food friendly’ to the list. Now, not many recipes make it through all these hoops, so when one does, it deserves a special hurrah.

That’s why I’m calling this barley pilaf the Weeknight Superhero.

I know it seems pretty humble. After all, barley isn’t the sexiest grain out there, and spinach and canned tomatoes don’t hold a candle to slow roasted tomatoes or beet walnut pesto. But trust me on this one. It’s not the individual ingredients but the melding of all those flavours together that make it noteworthy.  Of course, the addition of some flavour kickers like parmesan, garlic and sauteed onions help kick it up a notch too. It’s the perfect weeknight dish - warm, creamy, comforting and healthy to boot.

But the real beauty of this barley pilaf is just how flexible it is - it’s the ultimate kitchen sink recipe. You can throw in almost anything and it will still taste delicious. Have some corn on the cob left over from the summer bumper crop? Saute it in some olive oil throw it in with the spinach. Are the mushrooms in the back of the fridge starting to look suspicious? Add them in at the beginning,  with the onion and garlic. Too many leeks on hand?  Use one instead of the onion. I’ve also sauteed some diced peppers or some zucchini and added in with the spinach. If you wanted some protein, you could fill it out with some shredded rotisserie chicken at the end. It really is the Miss Congeniality of dinner recipes.

And if that weren’t enough, it freezes well, too. Just cool, scoop single servings into freezer bags, push the air out, and lay flat in the freezer. It’s great to take as a hot lunch or an instant dinner for one.

And finally - it’s perfect for little ones. Baby M loves this now that he can chew the barley, but you could also puree it down for younger babies. There’s nothing this Superhero can’t do.

Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
2 cups pearl barley
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 cup good-tasting chicken stock
1 bag baby spinach (I have substituted frozen spinach in a pinch but I find it a bit stringy)
2 ounces Brie (rind removed), cut into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

1. Add the barley, tomatoes, stock, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

1. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender, around 30 minutes. Add a little water if it starts looking dry.

1. Add the baby spinach leaves, Brie, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

1. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.

Serves 4.

Weekly Specials Aug 23, 2012

Well, there's been a lot of debate about eggs lately thanks to this UWO study, which claims that egg yolks are almost as bad as smoking. The author of the study, Cardiologist Dr. Spence, had released a study in 2010 suggesting that the cholesterol in one egg yolk is worse than a KFC Double-Down sandwich. (Love to hear that my alma mater is respected for studies that don't sensationalize.) However, deeper investigation shows that the study had some serious problems, and most experts agree that you can continue enjoying eggs! (Phew.)

General Mills in the US is being sued for claiming its products are 100% natural when some of them are not.From the New York Times article: 
“I’ve figured out now that something can say it’s 100 percent natural on the outside and not be 100 percent natural,” Ms. McKendrick said. “I want to make sure other people making purchases understand that, too.”
Oh, just wait until i do my Supermarket Survival Guide on the Granola Bar Aisle. It is truly scary.

This broke my heart, but I suppose it had to be said. The Food Babe dishes on the ingredients we don't know are in our sushi.

Everyone knows how I love my ricotta (I even included it in my Top 5 Hidden Gems at the Grocery Store.) Now, my favourite combo of fresh peaches, ricotta and maple syrup can be made into a galette! via The FauxMartha

Another one of my all-time favourite recipes is my Slow Roasted Tomato Basil Spaghetti, so of course I can't wait to try this soup! (via Naturally Ella)

Tweet of the Week:

Of course, as we celebrated Julia Child's birthday last week, I had to tweet one of her amazing quotes.
(You can follow me on Twitter here.)

Pin of the week: 

I'm turning to soups lately in anticipation of fall: This one has me dying to try it out.
(you can follow me on Pinterest here.)

Also, I've finally gotten around to putting together a list of my popular posts, food facts as well as recipes (you can find it below the Wholesome Hedonist banner.) Check out what you've missed here!

Supermarket Surivival Guide: Cereal Aisle

One of the trickiest aisles to navigate in the supermarket is the cereal aisle. This is because, like yogurt, cereal has a "health halo", which is food industry-speak for the aura of health that sounds a particular food (whether it deserves it or not.) People often think it's a lot healthier than it is. 

Another reason it's tricky is because it's full of spit and polish - beautiful, inviting colours, pretty fonts, photos of luscious berries tumbling into those wholesome flakes. But when you turn the box around, what you see is that most cereals are made up of wheat, rice, corn and sugar, followed by a long list of non-pronounceable ingredients.

So how do you navigate this minefield of good and not-so-good choices?

Here are some guidelines::

Look for cereals with 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of sugar or less

I know:  you know enough to stay away from sugary cereals. Let me just say this - it is not just the blatant Choco-Caramel Rings and the Cupcake Crispies that you need to watch out for. Many of the more wholesome sounding cereals aren't exactly good choices either, as this video from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity points out. To stay on the safe side, look for cereals with 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of sugar or less per serving.

Look for cereals with at least 3-5 grams of fibre

The Dietitians of Canada recommend 25 - 38 grams of fibre per day to help lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar levels and help keep you regular. I know - that is a WHACK of fibre and most of us don't even get half of that. Breakfast is an easy way to get some. (Note - if you don't like high fibre cereal, sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of bran, chia seeds or flax seeds on your regular cereal. It's a great way to sneak in fibre)

Ignore the 'low fat' claim

So many cereals carry the claims 'low fat', 'fat free' or 'saturated fat free' these days. That's a good thing, right? After all, you want to fit into that red dress!

Guess what? Almost every plain cereal is low in fat. That's because it's made up mostly of flour or rice or corn, which are low in fat. So choosing a cereal because it is low in fat is like choosing a cheese because it is made with milk. Companies only market it that way because they know that will make people buy it. 

Will it help you lose weight? Well, if you eat the serving specified and it fills you up and keeps you going until lunch, then it might. The problem is that most cereals are highly processed and made from white flour or white rice or corn, which means they don't actually fill you up.  You are basically having a bowl of white rice with some sugar on it. And because it doesn't fill you up, you end up having a second (or in my case third) bowl, or you give in to that muffin at 10 am. So much for the red dress.

Better, I say, to have some fat - good fat, of course, which will keep you full and going until lunch. Put some nuts on that high-fibre, low sugar cereal and enjoy. 


And as always, follow the three simple rules: never believe the front of the box, the ingredient label never lies, and read the nutritional panel. 


I know, I know: high fibre, low sugar cereal doesn't exactly scream hedonism. I hear you. In fact, I love cereal - anything that is carb-laden practically has my name tatooed on it. So I indulge occasionally. But I see those overly sweet, 'diet' cereals that I love for what they really are: dessert, not breakfast. Eating a bowl of sweetened, flaky cereal to get me going in the morning may not work, but having a bowl instead of the butter-rich cookies I was going to have for dessert is a good trade off to me.

You can read my other Supermarket Survival Guide here:
Supermarket Survival Guide: Yogurt

Find the best and worst choices in the supermarket here:
Top 5 Hidden Gems in the Supermarket
Healthy Pretenders: the Most Overrated foods in the Supermarket

Read my other articles on navigating the supermarket here.

How to Avoid Big Food Marketing Pitfalls: Grocery Shopping Shortcuts

After my last post discussing the reality of food marketing, reader The Job Hunter asked a great question about whether there were any short cuts to analyzing products in the grocery store (especially once you are exhausted from a long day at work.)

Hey, I hear you. I have a crazy one year old will sit still for exactly 11 seconds (yes, we've counted.) And I used to grocery shop after work too, so I know that the decrease in mental capacity is exactly proportional to the increase in cravings after 5 o'clock.

Over the years, I've come up with a  series of shortcuts to help cut down on the analyzing and scanning time at the grocery store and still make the best choices at the shelf. Here are my top guidelines:

1) Always choose the less flavoured option.
If there is one thing I can guarantee, it's that the more ingredients a product has, the higher the probability that many of those ingredients are crap. This is especially true with flavoured products; for example, pomegranate-blueberry yogourt likely has very little pomegranate or blueberry in it (it's probably mostly juice and artificial flavours.) Ditto for the Choco Banana O's - likely full of fake chocolate and banana flavouring. By choosing plain yogurt or plain cereal, you avoid most of these 'fake' ingredients. I know they sound way more boring than the exciting flavours, but you can make them exciting at home with a lot less chemicals. 

2) Ignore any claims that require a question.
Sometimes, when a company can't make a specific claim about a product, they will dial it back to a much softer claim that makes the consumer think it is good, but doesn't actually say anything.  For example, instead of making a '100% Whole Wheat' claim, they may say 'Made with the Goodness of Whole Wheat.' This sounds just as good, but really doesn't mean anything at all. How much whole wheat is in it?  Odds are the first ingredient is likely white flour.

You can spot these claims because they are usually ambiguous, unmeasurable, and lead to another question. For example, if it says 'Made with whole grain', it would lead you to ask, 'how much whole grain?' Probably not a lot, if they don't specify on the box. (In fact, most 'Made with' claims are in this same category.)

And same for 'Multigrain.' What kind of grain? How much of it is used? If they don't specify, then think of multigrain as a flavour, not a health benefit. 

This approach requires a bit of critical thinking at first, but remember: most claims are basically the same. So once you do it a couple of times, it will be easy to weed out the fake claims from the real ones. 

3) Be wary of the flashy aisles.
When my husband and I were house hunting in a trendy up-and-coming area just outside of downtown, we were always suspicious of the beautifully renovated houses, the ones with the new hardwood floors and the fancy backsplashes. With a broken down, sagging old house, at least you know what you are getting. But put a little bit of spit and polish on it and you never know what's lurking inside.

This is exactly the same way I feel about supermarket aisles. The 'unsexy' sections - beans, bulk nuts, grains, canned goods - are usually pretty ho-hum. There's not a lot of flash there, and you generally know what you're getting. But once you go into those inviting aisles with the cheery colours, the beautiful food photography and the cursive fonts, it's all spit and polish again. So if you can't look at the back of every product, then make sure you look at the ones in the 'flashy' aisles (for example, cereal, granola bars/snacks, yogurt.) A good way to tell if an aisle is flashy is to remember if you've seen a TV commercial for it lately - if companies are investing in TV ads, you can bet they're investing a lot of dollars to appeal to consumers.

4) Shop the perimeter.
One of the best ways to cut down on label-reading time and still make simple choices is to buy most of your groceries from the perimeter of the grocery store. this is where the fresh food is kept - produce, dairy, eggs, etc. Now, you won't avoid all the flashy aisles (yogurt has become a big one), but you will cut down on them considerably. 

These guidelines help me stay on track at the grocery store and still get out in a reasonable amount of time. What about you? Are there any tips and tricks you have learned to simplify your grocery shopping and still make the best choices?

Confessions of a Processed Food Marketer; or What You Need to Know Before You Set Foot in a Grocery Store Again

Have you gotten your grocery list pimped yet? That' right, send me your grocery list, and I'll give it a free healthy makeover! Details are here!

I’ve worked in the processed food industry for several years, up until I had my son last year. Although I liked the challenging environment and the people I worked with, I was never comfortable with the actual marketing of processed food. And the more I learned about how food is made and marketed to consumers, the more uncomfortable I became.

I had never really thought about food companies before I worked for one. I just assumed, like most people, that the products they produced weren’t really that bad. After all, if they were, they wouldn’t be allowed to put them on the supermarket shelf, would they?

What I realize now is that goal of food companies is not to make good food. Food companies are neither good guys nor bad guys. Their goal, like every other company, is to make consistent and growing returns for their shareholders.

The grocery market in North America is well developed; there’s not a lot of growth happening. Input costs are rising, and competition is fierce. So how does a food company make money in this environment? Well, they do whatever it takes to attract you to their product, even if that involves a certain amount of misrepresentation. 

Just look at the packages all around you to see how true this is. Crackers that say they are ‘made with real vegetables’ are usually little more than oil, white flour and salt, with a little dehydrated vegetable thrown in for colour. ‘Multigrain’ bread is usually white bread with a few grains added to make it look healthier. ‘Chocolatey’ flavoured bars often have no actual chocolate in them; honey nut cereal usually has very little honey or nuts.

I’m not trying to be a food vigilante here. I don’t think you should grow all your own corn or join a CSA or purge all forms of sugar from your cupboard. I recognize that most of us don’t have the time or the mental resources to devote to living this way (not to mention that a life without sugar would be a very sad one!)

But I do think that the responsibility falls on us to be educated about what we’re buying. The food companies are not going to do it for us; in fact they are going to do everything they can to make it as difficult as possible. It’s up to us to wade through all the claims and the marketing jargon and the fancy packages to make the best choices for us.

I know that sounds daunting. Who wants to go to the grocery store as if they are crossing enemy lines?

But the truth is, it’s not that hard to navigate the grocery store battlefield if you stick to a few basic rules:

1) Never believe anything you see on the box. Everything on it – the claims, the colour of the box, the flavour name, the photography - is designed to persuade you. Ignore it.

2) The label never lies. Flip to the back of the package and read through the list of ingredients. Leave behind anything with ingredients you can’t pronounce, and if one of the top three ingredients is corn, white flour, sugar or soy, try to limit how much you buy.

3) Read the nutritional panel. First, look at the top to see how much a serving is (it might be a very small amount of the actual package, which makes all the nutritional information look rosy.) Then, glance at the key lines to make sure they look reasonable: Calories, sugar, fat, salt, fibre.

Then – and only then - make an informed decision of whether to put it in your cart. That’s right – I’m not saying that you automatically curse and spit on anything that isn’t of a stellar nutritional profile. But I do think you need to know what the product really is before you make the decision to buy it.

I think processed food serves a place in people’s lives. It is convenient. It is often portable. Sometimes, it’s the only way you can get dinner on the table or grab breakfast before you run out the door. But I do think we need to be aware of exactly what it is we’re eating, and make a conscious decision when we decide to eat it.

This is the beginning of a series of articles I will be writing about the processed food industry to expose some of the mistruths and help you make better decisions at shelf. Remember: companies will only make what we decide to buy, so the best way to change what they make is to vote with our dollars.

Weekly Specials

Welcome to my weekly picks from the great big internets:

Recipes:

It can perhaps be said that I am a tad overenthusiastic at times. This extends often to my cooking, so that when I make a beet recipe, say, I make a  whole lot of that beet recipe, until I have stacks and stacks of ruby red Ziploc bags in my freezer. So I really didn't really want a beet to darken my path for a very, very long time. Until I saw this genius recipe from Pink Kitchen, that is. Beets with pear and cardamom and ginger? Yes please! I can't wait to give this a go.

I have a deep and abiding love for anything cakey, crumbly and full of carbs. Cakes, loaves, muffins, cookies, you name it. As I've mentioned here before, I have tried to slim down some of my favourite baked goods, but the results have not been pretty. So I am super excited to try Two Peas and Their Pod's recipe for Chocolate Fudge Zucchini Cookies, which contain zucchini and greek yogurt. Could these possibly be my dessert salvation? My fingers are crossed...

Resources:

How do probiotics really work? The jury's still out on this one. Which means that all those products that you see with probiotics on the label - from bread to yogurt to juice - may or may not do anything for your digestive system. My advice? Ignore the claims (as always) and choose the products based on the list of ingredients and nutritional panel instead. (via NPR)

This is a concise primer on antibiotics in farm animals: why they are used, why it's a problem and what the consequences are to us. I know it's hard - and expensive - to switch to organic (believe me, I've picked up grocery store meat in a pinch too) but this article makes me more committed than ever to switch to organic and other protein sources.(via NRDC)

Are superfoods worth the super price tag? Not according to the Dietitians of Canada. Bust that myth and 38 more on their website (It's woefully unreadable, but the info is good.) 

Pin of the week:

I'm all about inspirational quotes and sayings. This one really spoke to me this week. 

Tweet of the Week:

My thrown together lunch was inspired by all the peaches in my parents' backyard!

Ingredient Spotlight: Chia Seeds

Move over, Chia Pet. Make room, Chia Hair. Chia seeds have graduated from cheesy eighties gag gift to the new superfood on the block.

I had heard rumblings about the benefits of chia seeds for a while, but frankly, they seemed too ‘healthy’ to me – I generally shy away from buying peripheral health ingredients that don’t have much taste to them (I’m looking at you, green tea extract.)

But then I saw them at the bulk food store and thought, what the heck. I’ve never really gotten into flax seeds (the fact that you have to grind them before using always seemed like too much work to me), so these seemed like the perfect solution.

So why exactly are chia seeds so great?

Chia seeds are a great natural source of Omega 3s, the good fat that aids in healthy development. They are also packed full of protein and fibre (5g per tablespoon - more than an apple!) Unlike flax seeds, which have to be ground before using and go rancid quickly, chia seeds can be eaten whole and last in the cupboard for ages. 

When you add water to chia seeds, they expand and become gelatinous. This means that when you eat them, they basically become a gel in your stomach and fill you up, which helps you stay full longer.

But I’m not a health nut. Why should I use them?

Here is the beauty of chia seeds – they are a very easy way to help regular people eat better. If you struggle to get enough fibre in your diet (and really, how much bran can a person eat?), you can sprinkle chia seeds on your meal and instantly add 5 grams of fibre.

If you’re trying to watch your weight and are perpetually caught by the 2pm snack demon, just sprinkle some chia seeds on your lunch and you’ll feel full longer. (They help me get through the barren tundra between breakfast and lunch without reaching for the Bounty bar in the fridge. Yes, Bounty Bar, I've hidden you, but I still know you are there.)

Okay, I’m sold. What are they like and how do I use them?

Chia seeds look just like poppy seeds. They are tiny and basically tasteless, which makes them perfect for sprinkling on cereal, yogurt and salads. You can also throw them into a smoothie or into baked goods like muffins and loaves; I even give put them in little M.'s baby food.

I wouldn’t be a hedonist, though, if I didn’t include a warning: as I mentioned, chia seeds become gelatinous and expand in water. This means that when you chew them, they tend to get gummy – kind of like tiny tapioca beads, which is a bit surprising at first.

A few recipes out there try to capitalize on this gelatinous tendency of chia seeds by suggesting you make a pudding. I excitedly tried one of these recipes after everyone’s favourite willowy blonde macrobiotic actress sung the praises of it. I mean, come on – pudding for breakfast? Heaven!

Um, no. It was vile and repulsive – a grayish, gelatinous, tasteless mass. (I’m really selling you on chia seeds here, aren’t I? ) Don’t get me wrong, chia seeds are still amazing – just stick to sprinkling them on your meals instead of using them as a main ingredient.

Your trusty Hedonist has not given up, though – I’m still trying to find a chia pudding recipe that is actually good (I put the call out on Twitter a few days ago, so I’ll keep you posted - this one looks promising.) In the meantime – sprinkle these babies on your amaranth porridge and revel in your new status as a health nut.

Interested in other ingredient superstars? Follow my Pinterest board on Building a Natural Foods Pantry to see other great finds to add to your daily rotation!

Creamy Amaranth Porridge

Amaranth porridge with figs and walnuts

I’m of the opinion that if you live in Canada, you have two choices. You can bitch and moan about how hot it is in summer, or you can bitch and moan about how cold it is in winter (I guess a third choice would be not to bitch and moan about the weather at all, but frankly, that’s just un-Canadian.)
 
I am of the bitch-and-moan-during-winter persuasion. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life, the first day of winter never fails to shock me like a cold shower. I emerge from my car, tugging my woefully flimsy cardigan around me, trying in vain to keep the wind from whipping my hair, and I think, ‘Here we go again.’

But summer? Summer, I love. I love lazy, languid strolls past shops with open doors. I love sitting on the steps watching the ants go about their busy work. I love hurriedly licking popsicles while they drip purple pools on the sidewalk.

But this year, even I’m starting to get tired. Tired of the way my car feels like the inside of a barbecue if I’m parked for even ten minutes. Tired of sun always blazing down on my neck, even if it’s only 10 am. Tired of sticky skin and puffy hair and stretched-out jersey dresses.

So today, I’m going to wake up early, when it’s still nice and cool out. And I’m going to pretend that it’s a perfect crisp fall day. I’m going to make myself a bowl of warming, stick-to-your-ribs amaranth porridge and a cup of steaming chocolate tea. And for a few minutes, I will try to forget that there’s a heat alert and a smog alert and that it will be 33 degrees outside in a few short hours. I will just take a bite of that creamy, warming porridge topped with figs and dream of days to come.

Creamy Amaranth Porridge

Adapted from Julie Daniluk's Meals That Heal Inflammation (a great, information packed book, by the way)

Serves 2

⅔ cup amaranth
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
Fruit and nuts for topping
Maple syrup or honey

Directions:

1. Pour amaranth into a saucepan that has a thick bottom (to prevent burning.) Turn heat to medium and toast amaranth, stirring frequently, until the grains become a golden brown colour and they give off a nutty, roasted scent.

2. Take off heat and add water, milk and cinnamon. Return to heat.

3. Once the mixture is heated through, turn to low heat and cover. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so to make sure the amaranth doesn’t stick to the pot. The amaranth is ready once all the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Pour into bowls, drizzle with maple syrup and top with fruit and nuts (I used figs and walnuts to complement the earthy taste of the amaranth. Blueberries, peaches, apples and pears work well too.)

Note: As I mentioned in my previous post, amaranth makes great leftovers. Just store remainder in an airtight container and warm it up in the microwave the next day along with a little milk.