Barley Throughout The Menu - Canadian Food Focus

If you think beer is the only thing barley has going for it, you don’t know what you have been missing! Barley is a versatile grain that is easy to use, has great taste, texture and health benefits. Try incorporating barley into you breakfast, lunch, supper, snacks and desserts to increase your fibre intake, help keep you full and improve your digestive health.

To get you started check out these delicious recipes for incorporating barley throughout the menu.

Breakfast

Add barley to your breakfast by substituting barley flour completely or partially for wheat flour in recipes. Try barley flour and barley flakes in dishes like waffles, breads, granola and desserts.

Waffles

Serve up these delicious homemade barley waffles topped with whip cream and strawberries for the perfect weekend breakfast or brunch.

Slow Cooked Barley Breakfast

This slow-cooked barley breakfast allows you to add what suits your tastes. Serve with chopped dried apricots or cranberries, fresh berries, slices of peaches, pecans, chopped dark chocolate, brown sugar or maple syrup, cinnamon or milk the possibilities are endless.

Lunch

Pearl or pot barley has a chewy, pasta-like texture that makes it a good addition to chilis, stews, salads and even hamburger patties as a thickening agent or for texture.

Hearty Bison Barley Soup

The soup is packed full of hearty bison, barley and vegetables. The perfect comfort food to warm you up on those cold days!

Cheese, Onion and Bacon Scones

Packed with bacon, cheese and onion these savoury scones are delicious on their own or served on the side with a bowl of soup..

Snack

In some recipes like muffins, quick breads or cookies you can swap barley flour at a one-to-one ratio. However, in the case of yeast bread recipes, there is not enough gluten in barley flour to properly develop the bread. Swap one-quarter of your all-purpose flour for barley flour in yeast bread recipes.

Chocolate’n Chocolate Chip Cookies

chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies — Recipe and image courtesy of GoBarley

What’s better than a chocolate chip cookie? How about a Chocolate’n Chocolate Chip cookie. These drop cookies are a double dose of chocolate for the chocolate lovers in your life!

Blueberry Barley Muffins

These easy to make blueberry muffins are a delicious grab and go breakfast or snack!

Supper

Barley has a subtle, nutty taste that blends well with other flavours or ingredients.

Barley and Beer Battered Fish

A golden, lightly seasoned, crispy coating over firm white fish is simply irresistible! It’s quick to prepare, and no deep fryer is required for absolutely perfect, pub-style fish.

Asparagus, Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is such a satisfying comfort food and so effortless to make with barley. This recipe calls for a minimum of stirring and is made with a piece of chicken, pre-sliced mushrooms, and asparagus.