dinner for Dave

We're kind of scraping the bottom of the cupboard over here, or so it feels.  Case in point: I barely had one cup of beans combined from both kidney and black beans.  As a result, dinner last night was kind of scrappy, but turned out pretty good!

I prepared the beans using the quick-soak method (Boil for 5 minutes, let sit for an hour.  Drain and rinse, then cook for 45 minutes.).  I boiled up some barley and set to making an alfredo sauce.  Roasted some broccoli and combined it all!  Wah-la!

barley and beans in alfredo
1 c. barley
1 c. beans (your choice)

Cook beans and barley separately, according to their instructions.

For the sauce:
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 t. salt
1/2 - 1 T. Italian seasonings
3 T. wheat flour
2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Saute onion in olive oil (I used a liberal amount since it would become part of the sauce as well).  Add garlic, salt, and Italian seasonings.  Saute until onion is soft.  Add flour and mix well.  Add milk and cheese.  Stir well.  Heat on low, stirring occasionally, until mixture just starts to boil and thicken.

Combine the barley, beans, and sauce.  Salt to taste.  Serves 4-6.

We ate sitting out on the back deck steps, in the shade.  It was lovely!  And of course, we had to follow up the hot day with a little ice cream!

With a crumbled chocolate fudge brownie from Panera.  Amazing!