Confession.
I will try to eat anything and everything out of a bowl (with a spoon) if possible.
It’s just easier to shovel food (mindfully) into your face, plus, they are pretty easy to make pretty.
This particular bowl is packed with healthy ingredients, fresh flavors and a pleasant variety of textures.
What’s new though, he he.
The base is barley, an often overlooked grain, which has recently been making an appearance on my kitchen table more often.
It’s satisfying and pleasantly chewy + tender when cooked up right.
I went with pearled barley, since I’m often a busy gal and time is of the essence.
However, you can choose hulled barley which is less processed, therefore even more nutritious—butttt it takes longer to cook.
Gluten-free folks, simply use quinoa or brown rice as your base. Easy swap!
I cooked my barley in a mixture of vegetable broth and water, then folded in lemon zest + juice, finely chopped Italian parsley, dried dill and oregano, crushed red pepper flakes for a lil kick, freshly cracked black pepper, and pink sea salt, to make all of those lovely flavors even more lovely.
I then topped her off with protein-packed chickpeas, refreshing English cucumber, juicy tomatoes, baby butter lettuce, Trader Joe’s magical vegan feta, a drizzle of evoo, more fresh parsley, and last but not least, pink sea salt!
Eat up. Dig in. Chow down.
P.S. The ingredient amounts don’t have to be exact. Do what ever will make your taste buds happiest! No two buds are alike…
P.P.S. If you only want one serving of this recipe, cut it in half. Easy.
P.P.P.S. Make sure your pot is big enough so your barley water/broth situation doesn’t boil over and make a big mess. Oops. She’s still learning.
P.P.P.P.S. My dang camera didn’t want to focus on those poor cukes! I know this is a me problem but we’ll blame it on Sony for now.
Vegan Greek Grain Bowl
Ingredients
Barley
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoons dried dill (fresh works too, add more if you'd like)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Pink sea salt, to taste
Toppings
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed
- 1 cup small dice English cucumber, skin and seeds intact
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes or small dice vine/heirloom tomato
- 2 handfuls baby butter lettuce (mixed greens and baby spinach work too)
- 1/3 cup crumbled vegan feta (I use Trader Joe's vegan feta in brine)
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
- Pink sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- For the barley, bring the barley, broth, and water to a low boil in a medium pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the grains are tender but still have some bite. If there is extra liquid, remove the lid and allow some liquid to evaporate before serving.
- Fold in the lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon parsley, dill, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt, to taste.
- Spoon the seasoned barley into two bowls.
- Top with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, feta, olive oil, and the remaining parsley. Season with salt.