Tahini and Miso Barley Rice

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked day old barley and rice.1 dry cup will make 4 cups cooked, for reference please see the Veggie Kitchen Nutritious Grain Episode.
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans
1 cup of frozen peas
1 large leek or 2 small leeks (1/2 cup)
1 carrot
5 leaves of swiss chard (1 full cup)
2 tbs of sesame tahini butter
2 tbs of white miso paste
2 tsp of Spike Seasoning
12 oz of very hot water
1 tbs of Braggs Liquid Aminos (soy sauce may be used as a substitute)
2 tbs of vegetable oil or enough to lightly cover the bottom of you pan
A splash of toasted sesame oil
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans and set aside.
Rinse and drain the frozen peas to wash off any ice then set aside.
Remove the thick leaves from the leeks. Wash and pat dry the white and tender green part then thinly slice and set aside.
Peel and dice the carrot then set aside.
Wash the swiss chard leaves, roll the leaves up and then slice and dice the leaves and the tender portion of the stems.
Heat the vegetable oil and toasted sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Place the leeks and carrots in the pan and allow to cook for a minute or two.
Add the peas, garbanzo beans and swiss chard.
Add the Braggs Liquid Aminos to the pan then cover and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile place the tahini,miso and spike seasoning in a mixing bowl then add the hot water. Whisk it all together until the lumps are gone and you have a soupy mixture.
Remove the lid and poke a carrot with a knife. The carrots should be al dente not soft and mushy.
Add the tahini miso sauce and mix well.
Fluff up the barley rice and add it to the pan. Allow everything to cook for another minute or just long enough for the rice to get heated through and the sauce evenly distributed over the ingredients.

Cooks Notes:

Try a bowl of this rice with a few sheets of Nori seaweed.

Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans and sometimes grains like barley and rice. It can be found in the refrigerated section of your local natural food store or asian market. In this recipe we used the white miso which has a mellow less salty flavor than the darker varieties. It contains vitamin B12 and zinc. Zinc is a mineral that is very