Slow Cooker Black Beans & Barley

Legumes are among some of the very best foods for us diabetics. There's a reason I devoted a whole Weekend Ramble to them a while back. Visit The Health Benefits of Legumes for more information.

Today I share with you a recipe found in one of my favorite recipe books, The Comprehensive Diabetic Cookbook for Beginners by Keith Laurence. In this dish he combines black beans (GI 30) with my absolute favorite grain barley. The recipe calls for hulled barley (GI 20-25) but if that is hard to come by, pearl barley (GI 30) will work equally well.

I personally prefer to use more than three cloves of garlic, but... well that's just me. LOL

The key to making this butt-ugly protein work is to pair it with something that will create a party in your mouth, because it certainly is NOT pretty to look at. The whole concept of attractive plating is just out the window with this one, so don't even think of a party for your eyes! LOL. I've found that an Italian tomato salad or my German Cucumber Salad take care of this nicely and will bring about the always loved Yummy Noises. :-)

I hope you enjoy this earthy dish as much as I do, and as always... feel free to make it your own with seasonings and sides that YOU like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups hulled barley
• 2 cups dry black beans - rinsed and drained
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lge yellow onion - chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a 6 qt slow cooker.

Give all ingredients a good stir.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until beans and barley are soft.

Remove the bay leaf and discard. Serve warm with a tossed green salad, traditional Italian tomato salad or my German Cucumber Salad.

For a breakfast treat next day form small patties, dip in egg and panko and fry to a crispy golden brown. 😊

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup by Rosie F.

Adapted from a Facebook post & outline by Rosie F.

This wonderful slow cooker soup features mouthwatering flavors along with proper nutrition that won't spiral your sugar numbers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2+ lbs chuck stew meat - cut into 1" cubes

• 1-2 tsp garlic powder

• salt & pepper to taste - both for meat prep and later for slow cooker

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 8 oz baby carrots or regular carrots peeled and sliced

• 8 oz washed & trimmed celery heart - chopped

• 10 oz baby portobello mushrooms - sliced or chunks

• 1 large onion - cut up

• 32 oz beef broth

• 32 oz bone broth

• 20 oz diced tomatoes - fresh or canned

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 2 tbsp apple cider or sherry vinegar

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 cup pearl barley

Preparation:

In a large bowl season the stew meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder about 1-2 hours before starting the cook. Wash the carrots, celery and mushrooms. Cut up what needs cutting, including the onions, and set aside so everything is ready when it's time for the slow cooker assembly.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and brown meat on all sides. Once that's done, don't drain the oil, just put the whole thing in the slow cooker. Add beef broth and bone broth to the Dutch oven and bring to just a simmer.

Add the baby carrots, the chopped up celery heart and the mushrooms (sliced or in chunks... your call) to the slow cooker and pour in the warmed up beef broth and bone broth.

Add the onions along with the thyme, and then add the diced tomatoes. At this point season with salt & pepper to taste and work in the apple cider or sherry vinegar along with the Worcestershire sauce.

Set slow cooker to low and cook for 6 hours. After 4 hours blend in the cup of pearl barley. The stew has all you need for a balanced meal, but a crisp tossed salad does pair really well.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Pork & Mushrooms

This recipe is adapted from my own Slow Cooker Short Ribs & Mushrooms I created many years ago. The pork tuned out to be a really good choice. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2- 3 lbs pork chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 10 oz baby portobello mushrooms – halved or quartered by size
• 6-8 carrots depending on size – scrubbed and cut into manageable lengths
• 1 lge yellow onion – cut up
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 cup Marsala or Madeira – your choice
• 2 10.5 oz cans unsalted cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tsp The Good Stuff Seasoning 
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp table salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup pearl barley cooked with 3 cups beef stock
• 1 handful Italian parsley - chopped

Preparation:

Cut up everything so  adding items will be seamless later on.

In a large bowl toss the pork chunks with a bit of olive oil and the Good Stuff seasoning. Heat oil in Dutch Oven or large skillet and sear pork chunks on all sides. Place seared meat in bottom of slow cooker. Set heat to low.

Add onion and garlic to Dutch Oven and toss over medium heat until onions are separated. Add Marsala and mushrooms, mix gently. Add cream of mushroom soup, salt & pepper along with parsley and stir occasionally until all ingredients are mixed and lukewarm. Use care to not break mushrooms. 

Layer carrots over pork and cover with mushroom mix. Cook for 6-7 hours on low.

Start the pearled barley using beef stock 45 minutes before you intend to serve dinner. Add a green vegetable or a salad to round out this great dish.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!     

Slow Cooker Korean Beef

Credit for this dish goes to Amber De Florio at Taste.com.au.

Who needs takeout when it takes just 10 minutes to prepare this slow cooker Korean beef? Simply get all your ingredients together and let the slow cooker work its magic. The beef melts in your mouth with every bite thanks to the sweet and savory flavors of the bulgogi sauce, onion, garlic and ginger. The smoky notes from the sauce also infuse into the meat, and the addition of toasted sesame seeds on top show how easy it is to create a rich and complex flavor profile with such simple ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 2.5 lbs beef chuck steak - cut into bite size pieces
• 1 yellow onion - finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
• 2" - 3" piece ginger - grated or shredded
• 16 oz bulgogi sauce and marinade
• 1 tbsp corn flour (I prefer Wondra flour for the easy button)
• 2 scallions - thinly sliced diagonally
• Toasted sesame seeds - to serve

Preparation:

Combine the beef, onion, garlic, ginger and bulgogi sauce in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours 30 minutes or until beef is almost tender.

Place the flour and 1 tsp water in a small bowl and stir to combine. Stir into beef mixture and cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened and beef is tender.

Top beef with shallots and sesame seeds and serve with a whole grain wild rice or barley. Add a green vegetable that you enjoy.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Sunny's Pot Roast

My dear friend Sunny was a total foodie. We could talk about food for hours and shared many recipes, processes and kitchen hacks. She taught me all about "free scallions" and introduced me to up-to-your-elbows-in-butter Dungeness Crab feasts on newspaper covered tables at crab shacks in Florida. Unfortunately my dear friend is no longer with us, but she did leave me with the recipe for her coveted slow cooker pot roast. Sunny, like me, never shied from sharing as she was one of the most giving people I was ever honored to know. To that end, here is my friend Sunny and her delectable pot roast... pretty much the way she gave it to me. Today is her birthday, so if you do make this dish, please be sure to let her know how good it is. :-) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pound beef roast, the cheaper the better
• 6 peeled carrots in chunks
• 4 peeled onions, cut up
• 4 unpeeled potatoes, cut bite sized
• 2 ribs of celery sliced bite size
• 1/2 pound of button or baby portobellos, scrubbed and whole
• Fresh garlic
• Roasted garlic
• 1 can of beef broth
• 2 cans of reduced fat condensed cream of mushroom soup
• About 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1-2 cups Cabernet or other red wine
• 1/2 envelope onion soup mix
• Adobo seasoning (regular)
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter

Preparation:

We're going to start this around 10:00 AM and you’ll need at least a 6 quart slow cooker minimum J Drizzle some olive oil into a hot heavy sauté pan. Place your roast in the oil, sprinkle it with Adobo and brown the meat on all sides. Once that's done, remove the roast and place it in a slow cooker that's been coated with cooking spray.

Add the butter to the pan, then the onions and some roasted garlic. If you aren't keeping roasted garlic in the house, you're missing out. Sauté until the onions are just a little tender, and then pour them over the roast in the slow cooker. Deglaze the pan by pouring Marsala wine into it and scraping the bits off the bottom. Add this to the slow cooker as well. Add the carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, the celery and the tablespoon of fresh garlic, the onion soup mix, the beef broth and Cabernet to taste ...then cover and set on high.

After 6 hrs add the mushroom soup, give the whole mess a good stir, set to low and go turn on a movie. It needs about two hours more to blend the flavors. If you don’t have room for the two cans, scoop out some of the gravy into a saucepan and add a dash of the mushroom soup. You’ll add this back to your main gravy after the meat is removed from the slow cooker.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Full credit for this one goes to the ADA's Diabetic Food Hub 

Source: The Diabetes Cookbook. Recipe Credit: Lara Rondinelli Hamilton, RD, LDN, CDE and Jennifer Bucko Lamplough. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock.

Searing beef on the stovetop adds a few minutes to your slow cooker routine, but it’s well-worth the payoff in flavor. Serve this stew with a side of steamed green beans for a balanced weeknight meal that makes your kitchen smell inviting all day long.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp flour

• 1 lb lean beef stew meat - visible fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cups low sodium beef broth

• 1 cup water

• 6 large carrots – peeled & chopped

• 8 oz mushrooms - chopped

• 1 large sweet potato (peeled and cubed)

• 1 onion - diced

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Place the flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add beef and toss to coat.

Add oil to a pan over high heat. Add beef and sauté for 6-8 minutes, turning frequently until evenly browned.

Transfer beef and all remaining ingredients to a large slow cooker.

Cover and cook in slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

Serve as is or over pearl barley cooked in beef broth. Tri-color quinoa is a good choice as well.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Paella - Diabetic Friendly

This dish was inspired by a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens Diabetic Slow Cooker, though I felt some major changes were needed since diabetics should not be loading up on white rice (GI 70) as the author recommends. I have substituted the rice with long cook pearl barley (GI 25), modified the protein mix and made a couple changes to the cooking process itself. The result is something I can safely call my own... I've chosen chicken, Spanish chorizo and shrimp, but please feel free to create your own protein mix and balance... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken tenders or skinless, boneless thighs cut into two-bite chunks
• 1 lb Spanish chorizo - sliced
• 2 lbs lge raw shrimp - cleaned and tails removed
• 1 orange bell pepper - chopped
• 1 lge yellow onion - chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - smashed & minced
• 3 tomatoes - chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup dry Pinot Grigio
• 8 oz clam juice 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice - fresh squeezed preferred
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
• 16 oz long cook pearl barley
• 1.5 cups frozen peas 

Preparation:

Cut up the chicken tenders and sausage and set aside.

Add everything but the proteins, barley and peas to the slow cooker and stir.

Lay the chicken and sausage in a single layer on top.

Cook for 6 hours on low. Rinse the barley well and gently fold into slow cooker. Turn to high and cook for 60 min. Once the barley is in, take out the shrimp and frozen peas and allow them to come to room temperature while the barley cooks.

After 60 minutes gently fold in the raw shrimp & peas. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.

Leftovers heat up nicely in a covered skillet over low heat.

Add some littleneck or cherrystone clams for extra fun. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!