Barley and Beans
My healthy version of rice and beans that uses barley, lots of great Mexican flavors, and fresh vegetables and herbs to create a super quick and filling meal!
Ingredients
For the Barley
- 1 cup uncooked barley
- 2 cups water
For the Beans
- 15.5 ounces low sodium pinto beans (1 can)
- ½ cup yellow onion (diced)
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 2-3 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste no salt added
- ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth
Garnishes
- fresh tomato
- freshly chopped cilantro
- jalapeno slices
- Greek yogurt (as a sour cream alternative)
Instructions
- Prepare all vegetables and herbs and set aside. You can cook the barley and bean mixture at the same time so have everything ready to go first.
Cook the Barley
- In a medium-sized heavy bottom saucepan bring a scant 2 cups of water and 1 cup raw barley to a boil on medium heat (takes about 10 minutes). Decrease to low-medium heat and crack lid to cook for about 20 minutes. Decrease to low and remove lid to let sit for about 3 minutes before removing saucepan from the burner.
Cook the Beans
- While the barley cooks, add all ingredients for the beans into a medium-sized saucepan.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid to cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Serve the beans over the barley and garnish with fresh tomato, cilantro, Greek yogurt, and fresh sliced jalapeno. Option to squeeze a small amount of fresh lime juice on top but don’t overdo it!