Barley and Chicken Bowls
The last few days have been a whirlwind for me. The kids finally got out for the summer (which I am one of those weird parents that loves summer and my kids being home) For one because we get to sleep in a little later none of us are morning people. Two I get to spend more time with them and do fun activities that we just don’t have time for during the school year. Third because my youngest who doesn’t go to school has so much more fun with them home and doesn’t get bored out of her mind with just me. My view yesterday night was the start to our summer and not a good one at that 
Yes that is a hospital crib. Our little 23 month old managed to climb up on to my husband’s desk which I might add is as high as a kitchen counter got into his pill organizer opened it and started chewing some of the pills. I saw her and got her done and ran her to the sink digging out what she and put in her mouth with my finger, but being unsure what she may have swallowed we called poison control with the list of possibilities that it could have been. We were then told that we needed to go to the nearest hospital for them to check her. After spending a few hours there with her vitals being checked they decided to transfer us to a Children’s hospital that had a pediatric toxicologist staffed. She was kept under 24 hour observation and urine and blood where drawn and tested to any toxic levels or signs of organ failure.
Luckily for us it turned out that she had only ingested allergy pill and we were able to go home the next morning. Being there over night did a real number on my anxiety level and made me realize how blessed we are to have 3 healthy children. I hope as a parent you are never in a situation like this but I would recommend that if you ever are and you live near a children’s hospital I would just go there first. They were so amazing with her and made an event that was really awful and traumatic for her more bearable. I also have more empathy for parents or caregivers that may find themselves in this situation. We are always trying to do our best but they can be into something or somewhere they shouldn’t be in a split second. This was the first time in 14 years of parenting that I have had to be in a hospital overnight with one of my kids and with her personality and fear it wont be my last. 
Hopefully the rest of summer is full of just crazy lazy fun!
Now on to the real reason you are here don’t be intimated by the different steps it really comes all together in less then an hour. It is really delicious and even my kids including my toddler gobbled it up. The barley and Jerusalem artichokes are great prebiotics(they feed your good gut bacteria) for you gut. While the kefir and the pickled topping is great probiotics (good gut bacteria). The creamy dressing with the sharp and sour vegetables is a perfect combination. Broccolini is also known as baby broccoli and its flavor is very similar to broccoli but it also has a hint of asparagus. So if you can’t find it you can sub just regular broccoli.
Nutrition
Barley is an excellent source of whole grain, it has 15grams of fiber per serving and is also high in B vitamins, manganese and phosphorus
Jerusalem artichokes are high in potassium, iron and fiber. There form of carbohydrate cannot be broken down by the human digestive system but is metabolized by the gut bacteria which makes them a great prebiotic. (If you have digestive issues though they can cause gas and gastric pain so would be better to avoid in those situations).
Broccolini is high in Vitamin C, fiber and Vitamin A (good for your gut, immune system)
Barley and Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup barley pearled
Pickled onions
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup red onions thinly sliced
For the Vegetables, Toss
- 8 oz carrots trimmed, peeled, halved lenghtwise
- 8 oz jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) sliced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 8 oz broccolini trimmed
For the Dressing whisk,
- 1 cup plain kefir
- 2 Tbsp chives chopped
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Beau Monde
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dill dried
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- Black pepper to taste
For the chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp marjoram dried
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
For Barley
- Cook according to package directions. I cook mine in my rice cooker.
For the Pickled Onions
- Whisk together sugar, salt and vinegar until dissolved. Toss in onions; let pickle at least 15 minutes. Can be made a day ahead.
For the Vegetables
- Toss carrots and Jerusalem artichokes with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then spread into a single layer on a prepared baking sheet , roast until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Toss broccolini with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then spread into a single layer on second prepared baking sheet; roast 10-12minutes.
For the Dressing
- Whisk together all ingredients season with salt and pepper to taste and put in fridge to sit for at least 15 minutes. Can also be made ahead of time.
For the Chicken
- Whisk all ingredients except chicken together until well blended. Add Chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. (Marinating any longer could cook the chicken due to the acidity of the marinade) Then cook the chicken with you method of choice. I always grill mine but you can stick it in the oven with the vegetables as well. Just make sure that it reaches 165 degrees with and instant read thermometer. If grilling this should take about 4 minutes per side depending on thickness. With the oven I would say around 20-30 minutes.
For the Bowls
- Divide barley, chicken, vegetables, and pickled onions evenly among 4 bowls; serve with dressing. I also added my favorite pickled kraut*
Notes
Adapted from Cuisine At Home
