Friday, September 26, 2008

A healthy breakfast: Barley cereal with fruit


It sure didn't sound too exciting to me, either, but it wasn't bad. I like warm cereals, and this one reminded me quite a bit of brown rice. Needless to say, the toppings were key, and next time, I'll use fresh apple, cinnamon, and walnuts. I'll never tire of that combo.

I had never bought or cooked barley before, though I've enjoyed it when I've had it in soups. I thought I'd try it as a breakfast cereal because I get bored with my usual whole-grain options -- flaky cereal, oatmeal, 11-grain, etc.


Barley cereal with fruit (makes 1 large serving)

1/2 cup barley

about 1.5 cups water

1/4 cup blueberries (fresh is best, for sure, but I only had frozen) OR 1/2 banana, sliced, 3-4 sliced strawberries, or 1/4 apple, chopped

1/2 cup yogurt

drizzle of honey -- by the way, I love Hunter's Honey from Martinsville

optional: dash of cinnamon with the apple

sprinkle of toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans, chopped

1.) Boil the barley, covered, with the water, until the water is soaked up. (This took me about a half-hour, I think.) It will cook like rice.

2.) Put the grains in a bowl, and top with fruit, nuts, yogurt, and honey. Brown sugar would taste good, too.

3 comments:

Nicole said...

Hey, how about this combo? Banana, toasted pecans, and maple syrup instead of the honey or sugar??

KaraKT said...

I couldn't tell what the yogurt was at first! Looked really "firm." What kind was it?

Nicole said...

Funny you should ask. I'm actually looking for a new yogurt to try. This one is Stonyfield Farms fat-free, plain. But it's not that great! I like it in smoothies, but it is firm. It could be because it's fat-free, I don't know. Any suggestions for good yogurts??