Macro Breakfast: Barley, daikon miso, steamed collards

Although hulled barley is more nutritious because it only has the outer hull removed,  pearl barley cooks much faster and is less chewy.

It's midterm week!!! So make sure you start off your morning with a good macro breakfast to jumpstart your brain ;)

Soft Barley
Pressure cooker:  Place 1 cup barley, 5 cups water, and 1 kombu (6 inches) in pressure cooker.  Turn flame to high and bring cooker up to pressure.  Place flame deflector under cooker and reduce flame to medium-low.  Cook for 50 mins.
Rice cooker:  Place 1/2-3/4 cup barley and 1 kombu strip (1 inch) in rice cooker and fill with water up between the 0.5-1.0 line for porridge.  Cook rice on porridge setting.  If there is still a lot of water still left over transfer all contents to a pot and boil for another 5-10 mins until it thickens.

Miso Soup with Wakame and Daikon
Place 2.5 cups water in a pot and bring to boil.  Add 1 cup of daikon quartered and thinly sliced, cut on a diagonal.  Add 1-2 shiitake mushroom (soaked, stems removed and sliced).  Reduce flame to medium-low, cover, and simmer 3-5 mins until daikon is tender.  Add tbsp wakame and simmer 2-3 mins.  Reduce flame to very low, add 2 tsp barley (mugi) miso diluted in water and simmer 2-3 mins more.  Place soup in individual serving bowls and garnish with chopped scallions.

Recipe courtesy of The Macrobiotic Way by Michio Kushi & Stephen Blauer