Freekeh with Mushrooms and Asparagus

Until a few months ago I had never heard of freekeh. I was talking to a friend about barley, and she mentioned freekeh, so of course I had to find out more about this new to me grain.

Freekeh is popular in the Middle East and Africa. It’s harvested while the grains are yellow and the seed are soft , then piled, sun-dried and finally roasted.

Freekeh is low in fat, high in protein, fiber and is a high energy food with a low glycemic index.

It’s really easy to prepare, just place cold water and Freekah in a lidded saucepan, bring to a boil, stir occasionally. Once it’s boiling reduce heat and simmer until all water has been absorbed. Makes a great replacement for rice or pasta, and is great for anyone needing energy to fuel their workouts.

 Crazy as it sounds, when I was growing up I would never eat mushrooms, it was only when I was encouraged by one of my college professors, many, many, many years ago, that I gave them a try and realized I had missed out all those years.

Raw on salads, they’re good, but there is something about the aroma and taste of sauteed mushrooms with onions, oh so good, can take a dish form good to mum, mum, good!

Paired here with asparagus and freekeh, makes a tasty meal.

Chop, saute, eat!

Freekeh with Mushrooms and Asparagus

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• Author: Celeste @TheWholeServing
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Serving options: Vegetarian – sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Vegan – sprinkle with Nutritional Yeast

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 cup dry freekeh
• 1 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bundle asparagus
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• dash of salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• finely grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for garnishing (optional)

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Instructions

1. Place cold water, freekeh and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in large lidded saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and transfer to large bowl cover and set aside.
2. Pour remaining olive oil in large skillet over medium heat add onions and mushrooms to pan and saute a minute, add garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Add asparagus, vegetable stock and salt and pepper, saute two to three minutes longer. Add more stock as needed.
4. Transfer to bowl of freekeh, stir and season with additional salt and pepper to taste as needed.
5. Garnish with parsley, cheese or nutritional yeast.
6. Serve and enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Calories: 176
• Sugar: 2.3
• Sodium: 33.3
• Fat: 4.5
• Saturated Fat: 0.5
• Carbohydrates: 29
• Fiber: 4.8
• Protein: 9.5
• Cholesterol: 0