Super Easy Mushroom Barley Pilaf

For the month of June, I've subscribed to a weekly CSA from Bring It Food Hub, which sources produce from farmers across the Memphis area. When I signed up, I'd hoped the weekly bags would force me to re-think how I plan meals. Rather than pick out 5-6 recipes from cookbooks and then go to the store, I wanted to see what was in my CSA bag and then plan around that. I figured that would help me eat a wider variety of vegetables in the season when they're freshest.

And it's worked! It's also helped me cut down on my grocery spending since I'm now only buying perishables and items I need for meals centered around the CSA veggies. Last week, on the Summer Solstice, I created this meal of Seitan Filets with Plum Sauce, Sauteed Green Beans, & Mushroom Barley Pilaf to use up some CSA plums, green beans, onion, and garlic.

The seitan came from The BE-Hive, a vegan butcher in Nashville, and was gifted to me by my co-worker Gonzo after a recent trip over there. You can find the plum sauce recipe here. And those green beans were blanched and then sauteed in a skillet with the teensiest bit of sesame oil for flavor and Bragg's.

The pilaf used onion and garlic from my CSA. I found an unopened bag of barley in my pantry that I'd apparently bought on sale months ago and forgotten about (there are LOTS of things in my pantry that I've forgotten about!). The only thing I had to buy for this meal were the mushrooms. The fresh herbs in the dish came from my own little herb garden!

I wanted to share that easy Mushroom Barley Pilaf recipe because it was delicious and so easy to make.

Mushroom Barley Pilaf

Yields 4 cups

1 cup dry pearl barley

3 cups veggie broth

1 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced

Dash of Bragg's Aminos

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

Black pepper, to taste

Combine the barley and broth in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 50-60 minutes.

While the barley cooks, add about 1/4th cup water and onions in a non-stick skillet. Saute 3-5 minutes or until onion is soft. Add the garlic and saute one more minute. Add a little extra water if the water dries up completely or if veggies are sticking to the pan. Add the mushrooms and saute about 5-7 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. 

Season the mushroom mixture with a dash of Bragg's (or soy sauce) and fresh herbs and black pepper. Remove from heat.

When the barley is done cooking, stir in the mushroom/onion mixture. Serve!