Super Groovy Tahini & Barley Casserole

This casserole is hearty, tasty, and super groovy. Hulled barley (also known as whole barley) is great in this dish, but if you can't get your hands on it, use Pearled barley instead.

When using any kind of grain, rinse well in a colander and soak in water for at least 2 hours. (or overnight!) It allows for nutrients to be easily digested by us and it also means it will cook faster! Win-win. :)


Serves 6-8 hippies

Whatcha need:

2 cups hulled barley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated OR chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
5 tablespoons of shoyu (soy sauce)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp basil (dried)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 red pepper seeds (optional)
3/4 cup Tahini Dressing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350*F. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan; add the barley and cook for approximately 50-60 minutes or until tender. Drain off any remaining water, and set cooked barley aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until the onion is tender. If the onion starts to stick or get too brown, add a it of water to the pan. Add the carrots, celery, soy sauce, salt, basil, oregano, red pepper seeds and garlic powder, and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the barley, and stir over med-high heat for a few minutes. Taste seasonings and adjust to taste.

Transfer half of the mixture to an 8 x 12 baking dish; drizzle half of the Tahini Dressing on top. Add second layer of barley mixture and the remainder of the dressing. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 35 minutes.

Tahini Dressing

1/4 small onion, diced
1/2 cup tahini
1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of Paprika, Basil, & Oregano (dried)

Combine the onion with 2 tbsp water in a small skillet, and saute over medium high heat until softened.

Scrape onion into a blender and add 1/2 cup of water and the remaining ingredients. Blend until creamy!

Enjoy!