Egg and Barley Vegetable Stir-Fry

I'm a huge fan of the food blog From Scratch and especially loved Emma's recipe for Stir-Fried Cabbage. As delicious as it was healthy, I loved the simple, slightly sweet dish that finally gave cabbage a chance to shine. Unfortunately my fiance Mike isn't a huge cabbage fan, so I built from Emma's recipe and created something with a bit more kick for a healthy, colorful, slightly sweet Egg and Barley Vegetable Stir-Fry (which can easily be made veggie-friendly by omitting the eggs!).

The basics are the same: cabbage, onion, rice (though I opt for barley instead) and egg. But a little bit of sweet brown sugar, some crunchy red pepper, bright corn and peas, and crisp broccoli add color, texture, and even more flavor to the table.

Egg and Barley Vegetable Stir-Fry Recipe

1 cup barley

1 cabbage (medium to large)

1 medium onion

1 red bell pepper

1/2 medium broccoli

1/2 cup peas (frozen or fresh will do)

1/2 corn (frozen or fresh will do)

2 eggs

Olive oil

3 Tbs soy sauce

3 Tbs brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1. Cook barley (usually bringing 3 cups water to a boil for 1 cup barley and cooking 30 mins will do)

2. Chop cabbage, onion, red bell pepper, and broccoli.

3. When barley is nearly done (5-10 mins remaining), coat bottom of pan with olive oil. Saute onions until they begin to soften, then add in cabbage, red pepper, broccoli, peas, and corn.

4. In another bowl mix water, 2 Tbs soy sauce, and 2 Tbs brown sugar. Pour over vegetable mixture and lower heat so as not to overcook the vegetables (the cabbage and red pepper should still be slightly crispy and crunchy).

5. When barley is done cooking, add to pan with vegetables. Push the rice to the side and crack eggs into the pan. Allow eggs to cook for 2-3 mins, then mix into barley. Allow egg to finish cooking.

6. Drizzle remaining 1 Tbs of soy sauce and 1 Tbs of brown sugar overtop. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!