Barley Pilaf

We went out for dinner last night and I had a delicious vegetarian meal at a restaurant best known for its schnitzel and German cuisine. The chef made me a phyllo-wrapped mushroom pastry that was out of this world (must figure out how to make it) and served it on a bed of creamy barley. Our newspaper featured a barley stew this week and I modified it slightly as follows:-

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes ( I would use no-salt tomatoes next time)
5 ml dried thyme and basil
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable broth
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) pearl barley
341-ml (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
140 g (5 oz) fresh baby spinach
2 diced portabella mushrooms
250 ml (1 cup) water
Ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, broth, and barley, then bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the mushrooms about half way through the cooking time. Stir in the roasted red peppers, baby spinach and water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Serves 6.

Garnish with sliced olives if desired.

Energy Bars

I enjoy a variety of LÄRABAR products, especially their peanut butter and chocolate varieties. At $2.00 a bar, they are pricey and I usually get them in larger boxes where the price works out to about  $1.00 a piece. I got a food processor for Christmas, the first one I have ever owned. I have made a couple of LÄRABAR type squares and they turned out well. The measurements are approximate and can be adjusted until the right consistency is obtained.

Chocolate Bars:

Combine in a food processor and process until a paste:

1 cup dates ( I covered them with boiling water for 5 minutes because they were very hard)
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnut pieces
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a few dark chocolate chocolate chips

Press into a 8 inch square pan. Cut into squares or bars. I put the pan in the freezer for 1/2 hour before cutting them.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

3/4 cup dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Process until you reach a paste consistency. You may need to add a little water during the processing if it is too dry.

For other ideas, check out this website.

Black Forest Trifle

This light trifle has only 1/2 cup of sugar in the entire recipe and except for the whipped cream is very low fat.

Cake: Make a hot milk sponge cake following the variation with the cocoa. Use 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of Splenda in the cake. ( I used whole wheat flour for the cake but would not recommend that unless you are make trifle as pudding moistens the cake)

Fruit: I used 2 cups of sour pitted cherries which I froze in the summer. Thaw the cherries, add 1-1/2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/2 c Splenda to the juice and cook in the microwave stirring frequently until thickened. You could use sliced fresh fruit like strawberries or canned fruit instead.

Pudding: Make a single recipe of chocolate pudding following the variation of blanc mange with the cocoa. I used Splenda to sweeten the pudding. You could also make an instant no-sugar chocolate pudding.

Whipped Cream: Whip 250-500 ml (1-2 cups) of heavy cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 c Spenda until soft peaks form. I don't use Cool Whip or other fake creams but feel free to do so if you like them.

Assemble Trifle: Place 1/2 the cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Add half the pudding and fruit. Top with half the whipped cream if using the larger amount. Repeat layers ending with whipped cream. I grated one small square of 70% cocoa dark chocolate on top and added 2 fresh cherries for garnish. Let it sit a few hours before serving.

Trifle is very easy to make and the type of cake, pudding, and fruit used can be changed easily. You can make all parts of the recipe with sugar and higher fat ingredients if you wish.