Disclaimer: Snappy Grains reached out to me about their product, and after I reviewed it and what they stand for, I did accept and that’s why you are reading this.

We like to ‘colour outside of the lines’ a lot in life and when it comes to baking that (*GASP*) rule applies. When my new friends at Snappy Grains sent me over some of their barley, I was happy to do some experimenting and bring some compadres with me on the journey. 

I will first share with you the simple add-on to a meal followed by the experimental dessert that turned out, turnt up ;-D

Barley Pilaf

Recipe courtesy of The Healthy Foodie

Alterations of the recipe were made by us.

Ingredients:

• 230g of Snappy Grains
• 420ml of water

• Cook the barley in 250ml of water of boiling water for approximately 10 minutes after lowering the heat to a slow simmer; cover and cook without stirring for about 30 minutes, until all water is absorbed. Avoid taking the lid off during cooking.
• Once all the liquid is gone, allow the barley to rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan set over medium heat; add the garlic, salt, and pepper while stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked barley, frozen veggies, and turmeric; stir delicately until well combined.
• Kill the heat and let the barley pilaf sit for a few minutes, serve, eat with your favourite meat if you are an omnivore, or variation of vegetarian.

Time for Dessert aka the Charles ‘Barley’ Slam Dunk

You have a layer of caramel flavour, followed by cake, followed by a layer of caramel flavour and raisins on top. What is NOT to love?!?! This is a treat to be had in moderation alongside your produce-rich dietary intake.

Ingredients

Cake

275g of flour

3 tsp baking powder

oh about a handful or two of raisins

2 tsp of vanilla extract

3 whole eggs

200g of sugar

90g of melted butter

200ml of whole milk

Caramel Topping

200g melted butter

75ml whole milk

250g of brown sugar

1/2 cup of cooked Snappy Grains

3 tsp of flour

“Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That” Instructions

Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes before bumping it up to 280 degrees.

Mix the cake ingredients in a bowl.

Mix the topping ingredients in a separate bowl.

Pour the cake ingredients into an appropriately-sized non-stick cooking dish then stick it in the oven.

Set your timer for 30 minutes and wait.

30 minutes goes by….

Time to take a shot and see how the cake turned out.

Not bad, right!

Wait for the cake to cool.

Now for the ‘slam dunk’ with the caramel and raisin topping.