Pearl Barley with Stir-fried Vegetables

I started cooking with pearl barley in early spring this year ever since I first heard about this from a fellow blogger. I'm always looking for ways and means to replace carbohydrates with low GI, unrefined grains that has higher percentage of protein. Barley is a good alternative to brown rice/rice.

Barley has low GI and helps to control blood sugar, reduces blood pressure, reduces the cholesterol levels and helps to control weight. Barley being high in fiber digests slowly which in turn helps to control hunger.

I first tried it with spring vegetables like asparagus and green peas. (Link to my first experiment) However eventually moved onto adding this wonder ingredient into salads, soups and also made fried rice (replacing barley).

Out of all my trials this turned out to be the best, as nutty taste of barley goes well stir fried vegetables and adding peanuts gives a crunch this recipe. You can be creative and add vegetables of your choice such as mushrooms, sweet corn to this recipe.

Print recipe here

Ingredients

Serves 2

100g Pearl Barley

1 vegetable Soup cube

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 green chilies (optional), diced

1 Red & Yellow pepper, deseeded & diced

1 Fennel, diced

1 carrot, diced

handful of sun dried tomatoes, diced

1 stalk spring onion,diced

50g Peanuts, roasted

Method

Cook pearl barley according to packet instructions. Add 2 times water into a saucepan along with vegetable soup cube, cook till water is absorbed and barley is soft.

Separately in a large pan, heat oil add garlic and green chili, stir till its fragrant. Add diced vegetables except spring onion, mix well for 2-3 minutes till vegetables are partly cooked, however retains its crunchiness.

Separately roast peanuts in oven. I roasted at 200c 5-10 minutes.

Add cooked barley, mix well with vegetables. Sprinkle diced spring onion and peanuts and serve.

Hiking is one of the popular summer time sports in Switzerland. Coming from Kandy, the hill country in Sri Lanka surrounded by hills, valleys and rivers; I've always enjoyed being out in nature. However hiking is relatively new and I started it since I moved here. If you're a nature lover hiking is the best way to see Switzerland. Switzerland facilitates this activity very well with well marked hiking trails (close to 65,000km) and excellent public transportation. (You can get to even a remote location in approximately 3hrs) I invite you a take a virtual tour around spectacular landscapes of Switzerland clicked during my summer hikes. Visit my facebook page to see more.

Matterhorn (Toblerone) Mountain by Stellisee

Hiking along the foot of Matterhorn (Toblerone) Mountain

Red Lentils Soup

Red lentils curry is a staple side dish in Sri Lanka. Most of the Sri Lankans will have it for all three meals; with bread for breakfast, with rice for lunch and with string hoppers (steamed noodles with rice flour) or pittu (steamed couscous with rice flour) for dinner. Dhal curry is a versatile dish that can be served with many different main meals.

Sri Lankans call all our side dishes as curries. It could be a stir fry vegetable with grated coconut or yellow curry with coconut milk and turmeric or even a curry with a curry sauce. However here in Western cultures, curry is a term used only for meat or vegetable served in a spicy gravy. However in Sri Lanka any side dish that is served with rice or any main meal is called a curry.

Spicy Noodles with Multi Colored Vegetables & Tofu in Spiced Corn Flour Sauce

Noodles has always been on our weekly dinner menu. But method of making noodles is evolving. My mum made it very simple, she served noodles tossed with stir fried leeks and carrot to add some color. I tasted different varieties of noodles when I lived in Southeast Asia. Some of these mouth watering varieties are mee goreng, hokkien mee, chow mein, lo mein, pad thai etc., Each of these varieties has its own unique ingredients and sauces.

The Beauty of Broccoli

Coconut Sambol (Grated Coconut Salad with Chili)

This is a staple dish in Sri Lanka. This salad is served with most of the main meals. Sri Lankans eat lot of rice and food made with rice flour. Typical Sri Lankan main meals are rice, bread, pol roti (flat bread made with wheat flour and grated coconut), string hoppers (steamed rice noodles), pittu (steamed rice couscous with grated coconut) and hoppers (half moon shaped pancakes made with fermented rice flour)

Although coconut is not as big as Ceylon Tea plantations it is also one of the main agricultural crop in Sri Lanka. Hence coconut is used liberally in Sri Lankan cuisine along with locally available spices. All our curries are made with coconut cream and we add grated coconut to our vegetable stir fries and raw vegetable salads to add sweetness and texture.

Sambol is made with freshly grated coconut and is blended along with onion, curry leaves and chili powder. Traditionally it is blended using a mortar and pestle. It is believed that using a stone pestle to blend them gives a special taste.

Pan Fried Eggplant with Curry Powder

I'm sure all of you know by now that eggplant is my favorite vegetable. This is one of my favorite method of cooking eggplant. Its Jaffnese method i.e. northern Sri Lankan way of cooking eggplant. Typically I grew up eating this with Pittu for dinner. Pittu is made with red rice flour and steamed with grated coconut. It looks like couscous but in brown color. In North we also use Sri Lankan sesame oil to cook this dish. Sesame oil has a very strong nutty flavor that gets infused to eggplants. Some may not like strong flavor of sesame oil in which case you can use canola or sunflower oil. I would say it is an acquired taste.

Roasted Butternut & Yellow Split Peas Soup

Its getting cooler by the day,  we had our first snow last weekend. This icy cold weather is making me crave for steaming hot soups or very spicy food. I have cooked pumpkin curry many times and its one of my favorite curry to have with rice. Making soups with pumpkin  is a relatively new experience. I have tried this soup few times and has been a hit in our small nest.

Pomegranate and Walnuts Salad

Back then we would eagerly wait to go to our grandma's house, so that we could meet all our cousins and play endlessly. There was a big garden in front of the house with lots of flowers and fruit trees. I fondly remember eating these red pearls (pomegranate) with my cousins.

Mushroom Biryani - Fragrant Basmati rice cooked with Indian Biryani spices & Button Mushrooms

 

When my friends visited here recently we had endless stories to share. Part of our conversation also involved about our new foodie experiments. We were together in Sri Lanka and eventually we all moved into different directions. One girl came from Australia and other from UK. Never in our dreams we thought we would have our re-union here, in the most beautifully landscaped but land locked country.

Ingredients for Mushroom Biryani

Bircher Muesli - Healthiest Breakfast Ever

Bread with butter, marmite and another slice with jam is what I used have for breakfast regularly. Its definitely not the most healthy way to start your day. When we moved here, we often came across this breakfast meal named Bircher Muesli. We were curious try it out, as it was a popular Swiss breakfast sold everywhere from cafes, bakeries, super markets to office canteens.

Bircher is the name of the Swiss physician who introduced this  in 1900s. It was introduced to his patients as a part of therapy which included diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. (Source Wikipedia) Its a mixture of uncooked rolled oats, fruits, nuts and yoghurt.

I tried it outside and felt it was a filling and delicious breakfast. Most importantly its the most healthiest way to start your day,  with nourishment's from rolled oats, yoghurt, fresh fruits and nuts. It has protein, essential vitamins, minerals and good fat from nuts. Yoghurt has more nutritional benefits compared to milk. At this point I can't think of a better breakfast than this in terms of its health benefits.

Baingan Bharta (Roasted eggplant with Indian spices)

My love affair with this vegetable began more than two decades ago. It was introduced to me as "katharikai Poriyal" i.e. stir fried eggplant. Since then I'm in love with this vegetable and our affair continues with many new experimentations ;)

Guacamole- Avocado Dip

Finally after six long months, I'm happy to have my own space. I have my own utensils and a well stocked cupboard with spices and Sri Lankan ingredients. My kitchen smells so good :)

Today's recipe is a result of me trying to incorporate Omega 3 & 6 i.e. good fat into our diet. As vegetarians this is one of the nutrient we may be lacking. We all know fish is one the main source of good fat, which is good for our brain neurons function. Some vegan sources of good fats are olive oil, walnuts, almonds & avocado.

We used to have avocado (we call it as butter fruit) tree in Kandy, in our backyard. We usually blend it with sugar granules and milk powder, refrigerate and have it as dessert. I was surprised when I initially heard about having avocados for salads and sandwiches.

Cabbage Stir-Fry

You may have noticed that I have not been actively posting over the past few weeks. This is because we have moved to a new country(in the middle of Europe). I am still adjusting to my new surroundings and tied up with the post-move chores.  As a foodie this means tasting new food and experimenting. Unfortunately I still have not started taking photos in new place, as we are still in a temporary place with limited cooking space. But I'm eagerly waiting to capture and share all my new experiments with you all. God willing we hope to move into a permanent place soon.

This recipe is called varai in Tamil, is a Sri Lankan style stir fry. Similar dish is prepared in Kerala cuisine and is called "Thoran". It simply means stir fried vegetables mixed with shredded coconut, dry red chili and curry leaves. You may use mustard and orid dhal or bengal gram to add color and nutty flavor to this stir fry. (Imagine carrot stir fry, with dark green curry leaves, red chilis and yellow gram. Wow what a healthy treat to your eyes and body!) You can make similar stir-fry with all kinds of vegetables.  Some vegetables that I have used are leeks, grated beet root, grated carrot, square beans, long beans, green beans, green plantain, boiled potatoes, boiled tapioca. So that's why I say you can do this stir fry  with any vegetable of your choice. Also you can do this with any type of greens. One of my favorite greens ares kang kung cooked in this style. I serve it with rice.

Lotus Root Stir-fry

First of all apologies for my short period of absence. It had been very challenging and struggling few weeks. Gradually things are coming back to normal phase and I'm getting back to routine. 
  

Lotus Root is not a common vegetable. As it is in the name, this is the root of lotus flower mainly used in Asian cuisine. It is used in soups, stir fries, deep fried, braised, pickled in hot and sour garlic chili sauce and also used in traditional herbal medicine. Click here to see picture of lotus root.

I picked this vegetable due to its nutritional benefits; lotus root is rich in Vitamin C, B group of vitamins and also has healthy amounts of minerals like copper and iron.  You can buy this vegetable from Chinese grocery stores.

It has a crunchy sweet taste; a close comparison could be raw carrot. However compared to carrot it is mild in sweetness and it remains crunchy even after cooking.

My recipe is a fusion between Chinese style and Sri Lankan style, to spice it up I’ve added curry powder and curry leaves for its pungent aroma and I’ve also added vinegar as sour flavor nicely blends with crunchy lotus root.

 

Dal Makhani – Black Lentils in Spicy Cream Sauce

Dal Makhani is one of my favorite dish in North Indian Restaurants. I love its nutty taste in tangy cream, flavored with pungent garlic. I never bothered to try it at home. Didn't even know what type of lentils is used to make this dish. Later on only when I checked it with one of my Indian friend, I got to know the type of lentils used to make this awesome dish.

I’m glad I like lentils and legumes, as it’s a good source of low fat protein for vegetarians. Quinoa is the best protein source for vegetarians and vegans. However I’m still not that fond of quinoa, even though I’ve tried them on salads and soups I really didn’t like its taste. Second best protein source is tofu, which is a very versatile product. You can use them in fried rice, noodles, soups, salads and stir fries. Stir fried tofu in spicy chili sauce would be a wonderful dish. You can apply the same method I used to make stir- fried eggplant and cook tofu.

My preferred protein sources are lentils, legumes and dairy instead of tofu or quinoa. But lentils are not a complete source of protein, you always have to combine number of lentils or consume dairy to get complete protein. Black lentils, red lentils and chickpeas are my favorites. Black lentils are also used to make Dosa – Indian Crepes.

Spicy Legumes & Tomato Soup

We have been on a constant battle with our weight. We both feel if we lose couple of stones, we’ll look and feel much greater. Somehow this realization strikes in front of the scale and seem to disappear in front of food. Hence we are on a constant battle.

Some time back I used to have notebook jotting down everything that went inside and calorie counting, rigorous exercise and having soups and stews for dinner. But after having soups very regularly I’ve lost appetite for them. I’m bored doing the same type of exercise repeatedly. Now I’m looking for new suggestions to help me conquer my weight. (All your suggestions are most welcome)

My DH still likes taking soups for dinner. This is one of soups I made for him. It had to be mildly spicy for which I added coriander and chili powder, tanginess from juicy pulp of tomatoes, and of course wholesome - by adding three type of legumes i.e. red lentils, Black beans and Garbanzo beans. You can try it out with your own preferred legumes.

Legumes are a good source of protein for vegetarians. They are low in fat, good source of fiber, and are rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s always recommended that vegetarians combine legumes because one legume can compensate certain type of protein lacking in other and vice versa.

Spinach & Yellow Split Peas Soup & a Free Recipe Book Giveaway

I first tasted this as a side dish served with banana leaf lunch. Typically in a banana leaf lunch they serve around 8+ side dishes. So some of them I eat alone without rice. As soon as I tasted this curry it stroked me that what a healthy curry that can be made as a soup.

Spinach combined with legume – yellow split peas provides complete nutrition and protein.  Spinach is ranked as one of world’s healthiest vegetable. It’s rich in vitamins (vitamin A, K & C) and minerals (Iron, magnesium, folate etc) and also a powerful anti-oxidant. It is best to eat spinach in raw form, (in salads & sandwiches) else if you are cooking spinach it has to be cooked for less than a minute to preserve its nutrition’s.

I had to put some extra effort to do this post, as I’m still recovering from post holiday syndrome. Slowly getting back to my routine. I really enjoyed this holiday in Europe, wonderful weather, indulged in scrumptious food and took 1000+ photos in picturesque sights. Stay tuned I’ll share some photos with you’ll in photography page. Some of you may wonder why I’ve enjoyed weather, it’s because I come from a hot, humid 24*7 sweating weather, I love to walk outdoors, but I can’t do that here because of weather. That’s why from morning till 10pm or so, I was out enjoying 20+^C weather in Europe.

Green Beans Spicy Stir-fry

This dish reminds me of my mum’s scrumptious cooking and family lunches. My father always remind us about nutritional benefits of eating green beans. We grew up in a boarding house while schooling. So I’d wait till school holidays to indulge. I guess mom too planned to entertain us with variety of food. I still cherish those days where all four of us will sit together and enjoy scrumptious food. I really miss those special days. Now we are all scattered. Those days my mum teases me telling that I’m a balloon. Because I gain during school holidays and lose weight when I’m back in boarding house.

I never managed to get this dish the way my mom made. But somehow with practice I’ve got it.

Eat more green beans to prevent osteoporosis. Green vegetables are very good source of Vitamin K which is important for bone health. Vitamin K deficiency is associated with low bone mineral density, and an increase in bone fractures. Green beans are good for heart because its high fiber content helps to lower cholesterol. They are also a good source of protein, folic acid, iron, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.

Greek Style Tomato & Bean Stew

Everyone has their own successful weight loss formula. For me it’s taking soups for dinner, sandwich and milk for lunch combined with regular exercise. When I switched to carb meals for dinner it started showing up in the scale. So with much determination I’m trying to take more soups / stews for dinner.

Idea for this soup is adapted from one of my favorite Spanish Vegetarian food blog. But I’ve added / subtracted some ingredients and modified the method to suite our taste preferences. Spanish food blogger Natalie also shares lovely pictures of country side surrounding she lives in. I’m so much in love with that type of country side living.

This stew is packed with legumes that are rich in nutrition, including protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Legumes are being used to lower cholesterol levels, improve blood glucose control in diabetics, and reduce the risk of many cancers. Legumes contain many important nutrients and phytochemicals, and when combined with grains, they form a complete protein.

Broccoli and Tofu Stir-fry with Thai Red Rice (Low Glycemic Meal)

I'm glad that I got the habit of reading health related articles and books from my dearest Dad. So when my DH asked me to read this book on "Healthy for Life" by Ray D Strand, MD, I willingly accepted.  I strongly believe in this quote “Prevention is better than cure”.

Below are some insights I gathered from this book.

The way to manage weight and maintain healthy life is to consume protein rich food combined with complex carbohydrates and to avoid high sugar and refined flour food. Our diet plays an important role in managing the insulin levels in blood.  When we consume high sugar food, the level of blood sugar rises, resulting in high insulin levels. The role of insulin is to drive sugar into a cell to be either utilized or stored as fat. In fat cells insulin enhances the conversion of glucose into fat resulting in weight gain. Hence higher insulin levels converts sugar into fat, and also holds on to stored fat like a sponge holds on to water.

The opposing hormone to insulin is Glucagon – a fat releasing hormone stimulated by the intake of protein. It is suppressed by the intake of carbohydrates. Hence when we eat a lot of high-glycemic carbohydrates rich food such as cakes, doughnut, croissant, sugar, white bread, polished rice, potatoes etc., insulin levels rises and glucagon levels drop. On the other hand when we eat balanced food having protein, good fat, and low glycemic carbohydrates in a meal, insulin and glucagon levels remain in a healthy balance. Examples of low glycemic food are fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, tofu, unpolished brown and red rice, parboiled long grain rice, nuts, rolled oats, low fat yoghurt and skim milk.

Knowledge from this book has inspired me to add more protein, and create a meal around protein.

Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) Salad

Whenever I make salads, I add legumes as a protein source. Nutty flavor of chick peas goes well combined with sour green apple and colored peppers.

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are a very good source of folic acid, fiber, and protein.  They are also a good source of protein, as well as minerals such as iron, copper, zinc and magnesium. As a good source of fiber, garbanzo beans can help lower cholesterol and  improve blood sugar levels. This makes them a great food especially for diabetics and insulin-resistant individuals. When served with high quality grains, garbanzo beans are an extremely-low-fat, complete protein food.  

Print recipe here
Ingredients

Serves 2-3

100g boiled chickpeas

¼ of each red, yellow and green peppers, thinly sliced

1 green granny smith apple, diced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

½ of Japanese cucumber, thinly sliced

2 red chilies, halved and sliced

50g pitted black olives                                                                50g cherry tomatoes, halved

For Dressing

2 tbsp low fat yogurt (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic and ginger

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried parsley

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

Mix all the dressing ingredients, set them aside.

Add all vegetables to a large salad bowl, drizzle dressing over the vegetables. Mix well with wooden spoon, serve immediately.

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