I’m introducing a new post category to my blog called Food For Thought where I’ll offer healthy snack ideas, ingredient suggestions, side dish options or insights into any other of my food favorites. Today, I am going to kick off the new series with barley.
Like many of you, I love carbs, and as a foodie, it’s hard to avoid them. About a year ago I made barley for the first time. Sure I’d had it in soups (think beef and barley soup), but I had never actually bought and made it myself. Since then, it’s become a regular side dish for my dinners. I especially like to use it as a rice substitute. Unlike rice which tends to be higher in cals, 1/4 cup uncooked barley is only 100 cals! Plus, it’s fat free and has 5 grams of fiber per serving. I put soy sauce and siracha on it and it accompanies many of my Asian fishes and stir-frys.
Do you have any side dish secrets you want to share?
Have you tried kale? I made Kale chips for the first time a few weeks ago and I really like them but prefer them as a side dish with a meal instead of a snack. All you do is wash and dry the kale, cut or rip it into small pieces, mist with olive oil and add salt, pepper and whatever other spices you want and bake at 350 for about 8 – 10 minutes.
[...] cup Barley (look for a brand that’s only 100 [...]