Barley, Peas & Lentils...Oh My!

After work last night, I was not in the mood to do anything except change into comfy clothes, sit on the couch, and bust open a bag of gummy bears.  And I did JUST that.  After I made dinner of course :)  I needed something quick and easy, which if I'm being honest is really no different than most things I cook.  So I decided to try this mix of grains that I bought from Raley's recently.  Had a cute little note on the bag that says "Cooks in 10 minutes!"  Yeah! 

But they lied.  Totally lied.  Worthy of a Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire...  This was not ready in 10 minutes.  And the grain mixture didn't even cook at the same time.  Annoying, but whatever.  Have to go with it at this point and just meant I spent more time stirring the pot.  And I ate peas that were a bit "al dente!"  Despite that little issue, this turned out surprisingly well for something I just made up.  Even Hubs liked it.  So I think it will be a keeper even though I'd like to hold a grudge about the 10 minute label.

Ingredients

• 8.8 oz package of Raley's Barley, Peas & Lentils mix
• 5 or 5 1/2 cups of water, or broth  (The directions on the package actually call for more but I wanted it to cook like rice and have no remaining liquid.  Used 6 cups of water, and still poured some out at the end.  shrug.)
• You choose spices
• You choose veggies
• You choose meat
• You choose other garnishes- cheese, green hot sauce, etc.

Directions

1. Season your water.  Because of the veggies I chose tonight, I wanted to keep it simple
1. Garlic Salt
2. Pepper
3. Oregano
2. Get your barley mix on the stove before you do any more prep, because it WILL take more than 10 minutes.  I'd suggest leaving it on boil for a longer time before reducing to simmer.  And then simmer longer as well.  Go with twice as long as stated on the package.  In general you are going to have to test it as you cook until it is the texture you want.  Keep in mind my previous note about the peas still being less cooked than the barley...  I ended up cooking this about 25 minutes before I was just OVER IT and decided it was as done as it was gonna get for the night.
3. While that boils, cut up your veggies.  I used the following-
1. 1 chopped green onion  (Probably would use 2-3 next time)
2. 1 cup chopped arugula
3. 1/2 orange bell pepper- chopped
4. Saute any veggies that you want to be warmed up
1. Bell Pepper went into my pan with a little bit of olive oil
5. Meat lovers- get your meat chopped & cooked.
1. Pepper Turkey lunch meat was chopped up for Josh.
6. Get Garnishes ready- We used the following
1. Shredded mozzarella
2. Green Tabasco (for him)
7. Once barley mixture is done, spoon into bowls and mix in as much or as little of all the good stuff.

 

How GOOD does this look for an unplanned and annoying meal?

As with most packaged foods, this was more than enough for two people.  I had left overs to take to lunch at work the next day.  Threw some arugula in a container, spooned in some barley mix, and topped with shaved parmesan.   (Here is me enjoying it during a conference call with East Coasters who always invade my lunch time!) 



Next time I think I would try this mix as a cold salad with greens and zucchini slices, topped with a fresh lemony dressing like this simple Martha version here. 

                  Long Story short- This turned out successful despite such misleading label info!