Barley, Black Bean & Corn Burritos

I am always on the lookout for EASY, HEALTHY and DELICIOUS dinner recipes... in that order. The easier it is to prepare the less deliciousness I require from it, but it still has to be eatable.

I made this recipe last night >>> Barley, Black Bean & Corn Burritos, from the website Cookinglight.com. It was the easiest meal I have prepared in a long time, and it was very delicious. I have never cooked with Barley before, but I will again. I loved the texture of the barley in the burritos. My husband even commented on how nice the texture was. 

We wrapped the barley mixture with some cheese up in Ezekiel's Sprouted Grain Tortillas and added dollops of plain greek yoghurt, guacamole, salsa and sprinkled cheese. YUM! This one is going in our monthly rotation... and it will be there for a long long long time. I am not sure if it is something I will feed to guests, but maybe? I know I will make it when I entertain health conscious vegetarian types. This might be the best vegetarian meal I have in my repertoire.

We had left overs today for lunch. Yum. After I was finished with my burrito, I ate what was left like this. I think it would be really good as a corn chip dip too. 

Below are a list of ingredients that I used. For the original recipe see the link provided above.

INGREDIENTS & Directions:

2 cups water + 2 teaspoons of Better than Bullion chicken stalk

1 cup uncooked pearl barley

3/4 cup frozen corn

1 Tablespoon of fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with jalapenos undrained

COMBINE ABOVE INGREDIENTS IN A SLOW COOKER ON LOW FOR 4 HOURS.

6 (8 inch) Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortillas

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

6 cups of sliced curly leaf lettuce

1/2 cup bottled salsa or diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos

1/2 cup plain greek yoghurt, in place of sour cream

Guacamole (1 avocado, lime juice, paprika, salt & pepper)

HEAT TORTILLAS IN PAN. SPOON 2/3 CUP BARLEY MIXTURE DOWN CENTER OF EACH TORTILLA. SPRINKLE EACH WITH 1/2 TABLESPOON (OR MORE) OF CHEESE; ROLL UP. PLACE 1 CUP LETTUCE ON EACH PLATE; TOP EACH PLATE WITH 1 BURRITO. SPOON 1 TABLESPOON OF SALSA, GREEK YOGHURT and GUACAMOLE... SPRINKLE WITH MORE CHEESE.  

Homemade liquid laundry detergent

I made laundry detergent today and it was so much easier than I expected. Since I am anal about the products I purchase, I have a hard time living with in our means. We aren't rich, but I spend like we are. I buy expensive organic groceries and expensive organic cleaning products.

Today I made a 5 gallon batch of laundry detergent. Each load gets 1/2 - 1 cup of detergent. That means I have made 80-160 loads of detergent for around $6.00, using expensive $5 organic bar soap.  In comparison I spend about $20 a month for my usual store brand. I can't believe I haven't gone this route before.

THE RECIPE:

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 bar of soap (I used Dr. Bronner's, but Ivory or any plain soap will do)

Equipment:

food processor or grater

2 Quart pot

5 gallon bucket with lid (for free at grocery store bakery)

1 cup measuring cup

First - 1 bar of soap grated
I used Dr. Bronner's Pure-castile soup. The soap is made with organic oils and it is safe for the environment... but Ivory or any other plain soap will do the trick. I found the Dr. Bronner's soap at Whole Foods. After chopping the bar with a knife, I threw it in my food processor.

Second - Melt the soap in 2 quarts of water (8 cups)
Simple! Poured the chopped or shredded bar of soap in a pot with 8 cups of water and heated it until the soap melted. This took only a few minutes.

Third - Fill a 5 gallon bucket with 4.5 gallons of hot tap water. 
You can get a 5 gallon bucket for free at any grocery store bakery. The day I asked for one, they didn't have any with lids. It would be easier to use one with a lid... I just forgot to ask last time I was grocery shopping. I will have to improvise. I filled the bucket while I was melting the soap in 2 quarts of water.

Fourth - Add melted soap water, 1 cup Borax and 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda to 5 gallon bucket.
Stir these ingredients until every thing is melted and blended. I couldn't find Borax at Whole Foods or the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, but you can find them at any grocery store.


Fifth - Cover solution and let it sit for 24 hours
This was the hardest step for me, because I waited to make the laundry detergent until I ran out of the store brand I have been buying.


Sixth - After 24 hours stir or shake solution and pour into 1 gallon containers. 
I will use old empty water jugs we have around the house.

Last - Wash some clothes
Each load gets 1/2 - 1 cup of detergent. If I want some scent I might add a drop or two of essential oil to individual laundry loads, but probably not. I think you could add scent to an entire batch if you want, but I prefer mine unscented. Also, the pure essential oils I use (do terra) can break down plastic over time, so I don't want to add scent to my precious 5 gallon bucket.




Here is the financial break down... a really rough estimate
You can probably find these products for less and use a less expensive bar soap, if money is your only motivation.

$5 for a 3.5 lb box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (8+cups = >$60 for a 5 gallon batch)
$5 for a 4 lb box of Borax (10+cups =  >$.50 for a 5 gallon batch of detergent)
$5 Dr. Bonner's soap (1 bar)
$0 5 gallon bucket is free at local a grocery store bakery
$0 5 individual 1 gallon buckets - left over laundry containers and water/milk jugs

= @$6.00 for 80-160 loads of laundry.  This 5 gallon batch will last me over two months.