Barley and Sausage One Pot Meal

Today didn't go exactly as I planned. I was hoping to make an amazing pumpkin soup. It all started going wrong when I couldn't find a small pumpkin. So, I abandoned plan A and instead did what I should have done and took stock of my fridge to see what I could make instead for dinner tonight.

I had some leftover barley and some sausage (veggie, of course) and figured I would try something a little different.

I think barley is an underused grain. It is a great alternative to rice (or any grain for that matter), and it's cheap and easy to make. It's good for the heart, lowers cholesterol and is high in fiber. You can add it to soups, casseroles or even make risotto with it. If you are feeling a little sick and tired of the same grains everyday, give it a try.

Barley... nutritious and delicious!

Ok, back to dinner... I wasn't sure what to call this thing. It isn't a casserole, it's not a stew and it's not a stir-fry. So I am titling this one a barley one pot dinner. I love one pot meals because it's less to clean up which is important what you don't have a dishwasher.

Unfortunately, I forgot to put my memory card in when I start shooting this dish... so I only have a pic of the finished product. Sorry!  :)

Barley and Sausage One Pot Meal

Serves 3-4, takes about 20 minutes if you have already cooked barley

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 3 links of vegan sausage (Italian, Hungarian, whatever you have on hand)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 handful of sun dried tomatoes, chopped (8-10)
• half a bunch of kale, chopped
• 1/2 cup of cooked barley
• 1 can of cannelloni beans

First, chop up your ingredients while heating the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Next add the sausage, garlic and the butter and cook again for a few more minutes. Add the kale and the sun dried tomatoes and cook until the kale shrinks to about half the size, about 5 more minutes.

Last, add the barley and the beans and cook until heated through. I also added a bit of salt and pepper. If you want to kick up the heat on this one, add some red pepper flakes before serving.

Some easy substitutions are to change the beans, greens or grain. Try spinach or collards instead of kale. For the barley you can mix it up with quinoa or rice and the beans, you could try kidney beans or navy beans.

Hopefully tomorrow, it is soup time!