cooking · Dinner

Vegan Friendly Mushroom and Barley Stew

I took a recipe I had seen in a copy of ReadyMade (see here for the original recipe) and altered it a bit: cut the butter out (the olive oil is plenty enough) upped the veggies, cut out the wine (used red wine vinegar instead) and used a bit more broth. The results were wonderful. The stew is hearty and filling!

Mushroom and Barley Stew
Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 carrots, peeled, trimmed and diced
  • 1 tsp roasted garlic (jarred
  • 1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp lower sodium soy sauce, divided
  • ½ cup pearl barley
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 cups lower sodium vegetable broth

Directions:
Spread the barley out and pick over it, making sure there is no field debris in it, then rinse well.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté until the onions are golden. Add in the garlic and cook for a minute or two, then the mushrooms and continue cooking until they have released their juices and are browned.
Add the red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, barley and thyme (rub between your fingers), sautéing for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, cover loosely, and simmer for an 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes
Before serving, remove the bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper if desired (I didn’t think it needed any).
Serves 4 – pair with a nice crusty loaf of bread.

Notes: If you have carnivores in the house you can add in a cooked steak, diced up and sprinkled on their bowls, preferably using a tender filet mignon. That made Kirk and Ford happier….hah!

~Sarah

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