Whole grain foods. including barley, brown rice, buckwheat, flax, kamut, oats, spelt, quinoa, whole wheat and millet, are some of nature’s  tasty and healthy super foods.   Besides fibre, they contain vitamins such as B vitamins and vitamin E, minerals like selenium, iron and magnesium plus a variety of disease fighting plant chemicals  This natural mix of ingredients work together  to lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Get started on your whole grain adventure with this delicious recipe from “Go Barley”    a new cookbook by Pat Inglis and Linda Whitworth (Touchwood Editions)..

BARLEY TABBOULEH

1 cup (250 mL) pot or pearl barley
2 cups (500 mL) water
1 cup (250 mL) chopped fresh parsley
½ cup (125 mL) chopped fresh mint
½ cup (125 mL) chopped green or red onion
1 small cucumber, coarsely chopped
¼ cup (50 mL) olive oil
¼ cup (50 mL) fresh lemon juice
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
¾ tsp (3 mL) salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

In a saucepan over high heat, combine barley and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover pan and cook for 40 minutes, then chill. In a large bowl, combine chilled barley, parsley, and mint. Add onion and cucumber. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; pour over barley mixture and mix well, then refrigerate. Shortly before serving, stir in tomatoes. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

 Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 161;  Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrate: 22 g;  Fibre: 5 g; Sugars: 1 g; Fat: 7 g;
Saturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 231 mg