Recipes - Toasted Almond Barley Ham Bake

*Taken from Enjoy Good Carb, Better Carb Recipes

1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds
1 TBSP margarine or butter
1 C uncooked barley
1 C chopped carrots
1 bunch green onions
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 LB lean smoked ham or turkey ham, cubed
2 tsp dried basicl leaves
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 box of reduced-sodium beef broth (2 cans)
1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spracy 13x9 baking dish w/ nonstick cooking spray, set aside
2. Spread almonds in single layer on baking sheet. bake 5 mins or ntil golden brown, stirring frequently. Set aside.
3. Melt margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add barley, carrots, onions, celery and garlic; cook and stir 2 mins or until onions are tender. Remove from heat. Sirt in ham, toasted almonds, basil, oregano and pepper. Pour into prepared dish.
4. Add broth to medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Pour over barley mixture.
Cover tightly wih foil and bake 20 mins. Remove from oven; stir in green beans. Bake, covered, 30 minutes or until barley is tender.

Serves 8
Calories 251 (may be lower if using turkey ham)
Carbs 25
Fat 9G
Fiber 7
Protein 19

*This was really good. I substituted the regular ham with turkey ham, but i found that the turkey ham i got was really salty, so try to get reduced salt if you can find it. Fun to cook w/ grains you're not used to cooking or eating. barley is tasty and quite filling.