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My Favorite Holiday Barley Casserole

What does a vegan make for Thanksgiving?  While there are plenty of festive options, my “go to” recipe is for the Barley Casserole from my “go to” vegan cookbook, The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.

 

 

This casserole is hearty, extremely flavorful, and popular with both vegans and non-vegans.  It also tastes equally delicious hot or cold.

 

Aerial View of Barley Casserole
Aerial View of Barley Casserole

 

The first step is to prepare the barley.

 

Barley Boiling
Barley Boiling

 

And strain it!

 

Barley in Strainer
Barley in Strainer

 

Gather the ingredients…

 

Barley Casserole Ingredients
Barley Casserole Ingredients

 

And sauté the garlic and onion.

 

Sauteed Garlic and Onion
Sauteed Garlic and Onion

 

Then add the veggies.

The recipe also calls for shoyu.  What is shoyu and how is it different from soy sauce?  The short answer is that shoyu is natural soy sauce.  Natural soy sauce is made from a combination of soybeans, roasted hard red wheat, sea salt, and water while mass-produced soy sauce is made from chemically produced defatted soybean pulp.  To learn more about the differences between shoyu and soy sauce click on:

http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/soy-sauce-shoyu-tamari/

When I made this recipe, I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, a soy sauce alternative.  Bragg’s Liquid Aminos is a certified Non-GMO, gluten-free, protein concentrate made from soybeans.  It tastes like soy sauce and can be substituted in any recipe.

 

 

The bottom line is that you can use soy sauce, Shoyu, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos in this recipe and achieve great results!

 

Veggies for Barley Casserole
Veggies for Barley Casserole

 

Add the spices…

 

Spices for Barley Casserole
Spices for Barley Casserole

 

And you’ve completed the barley layer!

 

Barley Mixture
Barley Mixture

 

Next up, is the Tahini Dressing.

 

Tahini Sauce Ingredients in Food Processor
Tahini Sauce Ingredients in Food Processor

 

Blend all of the ingredients in food processor.

 

Tahini Dressing in Food Processor
Tahini Dressing in Food Processor

 

Mix 3/4 cup of Tahini Dressing to the barley mixture.  It’s then time to assemble the casserole!  Start with a layer of barley.

 

Barley Layer
Barley Layer

 

Then add a layer of Tahini Dressing.

 

Tahini Dressing Layer
Tahini Dressing Layer

 

Then add a second layer of barley.

 

2nd Barley Layer
2nd Barley Layer

 

And a final layer of Tahini Dressing and put the casserole in the oven.

 

2nd Layer of Tahini Dressing
2nd Layer of Tahini Dressing

 

While baking, mouth watering aromas will fill your home.    And after 35 minutes, the Barley Casserole is done!

 

Barley Casserole Out of Oven
Barley Casserole Out of Oven

 

Dishes like this ensure that I never miss meat.  Dig in and enjoy!

 

Barley Casserole in Bowl
Barley Casserole in Bowl

 

 

Vegan Barley Casserole
 

Ingredients
  • Barley Layer
  • 2 cups hulled barley
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 5 tablespoons shoyu
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ cup tahini dressing (see below for recipe)
  • Tahini Dressing
  • ¼ small onion, diced
  • ½ cup tahini
  • 1 tablespoon shoyu
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon dried basil or ½ teaspoon fresh basil
  • pinch of dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ cup water

Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350
  2. Boil 3 cups of water and add barley.
  3. Cook until tender (about 55-60 minutes)
  4. Add olive oil to saucepan and saute onion and garlic
  5. Add carroty, celery, shoyu, salt, basil, oregano, and garlic powder, until vegetables are tender.
  6. Add barley to vegetable mixture and set aside.
  7. Combine onion, tahini, shoyu, garlic powder, paprika, dried or fresh basil, dried oregano, and water to food processor for tahini dressing
  8. Mix ¾ cup Tahini Dressing to barley mixture
  9. Transfer half of the barley mixture to a 8 x 12 baking dish
  10. Drizzle half of the Tahini Dressing on top of the barley mixture
  11. Add the other half of the barley mixture on top of the tahini layer
  12. Drizzle the other half of the Tahini Dressing on top of the second barley layer
  13. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes

 

Vegan Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin butter’s festive taste and intoxicating aroma make it a fall classic.  It can be smeared on toast or muffins, eaten out of the jar with a spoon, or used as an oatmeal or yogurt topping!  Plus, it’s fun and easy to prepare.

 

Pumpkin Butter Jar with Lid Off
Pumpkin Butter Jar with Lid Off

 

I used a pumpkin butter recipe comes from a great cookbook, Vegan Desserts: Sumptuous Sweets for Every Season, by Hannah Kiminsky.

 

 

First, gather the ingredients!

 

Pumpkin Butter Ingredients
Pumpkin Butter Ingredients

 

Once the maple syrup and pumpkin heat up, magic happens…

 

Pumpkin and Maple Syrup
Pumpkin and Maple Syrup

 

The mixture takes on a darker hue and delicious smells begin to waft through your house.

 

Pumpkin Butter with Spices
Pumpkin Butter with Spices

 

Tom (aka the fiancé) knows that when I approach with a mystery sample, the agreement is taste first, question second.  With the pumpkin butter, he pronounced, “It tastes like fall.”   I couldn’t have put it better myself.  In fact, I’m hoping to make a big batch in a few months for holiday gifts!

 

Pumpkin Butter in Jar
Pumpkin Butter in Jar

 

 

4.0 from 1 reviews

Vegan Pumpkin Butter
 

Ingredients
  • 1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon all spice
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
  1. Place pumpkin and maple syrup in saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir until mixture thickens — approximately 15 minutes.
  3. Make sure to stir continuously to avoid burning.
  4. Once thickened, turn off heat and stir in spices.
  5. Place pumpkin butter in jar. Let cool to room temperature before putting on jar lid