A favorite recipe of ours from the Vegetarian Pleasures cookbook. I like to serve this with steamed sweet potatoes and honey butter or sour cream (believe it or not, sour cream is fabulous on sweet potatoes). For a really special meal I serve it with the Sweet Potato Casserole.
1 C Barley, rinsedIf you are using pearled barley: Place barley in a medium-size saucepan and cover it with water. Bring to a boil, cook 2 minutes, and then turn off heat and cover the pan. Let sit 1 hour.
If your barley is not pearled: Place barley in a medium-size saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cook 2 minutes, and then cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Saute the onion, mushroom, and thyme in the oil. Combine with the cooked and drained barley, veggie stock, tamari, salt and pepper. Place in oven proof casserole and cook, covered, for 1 hour at 350 F. If all the liquid is not absorbed after one hour, then remove cover and allow to cook long enough to absorb liquid.