Warm Mushroom and Grain Salad

1. In a small bowl, pour two cups of boiling water over dried mushrooms and let steep for 5 minutes.
2. Drain dark mushroom liquid into a medium pot. Bring to a boil and add barley. Lower heat to medium and simmer for about 40 minutes or until tender. Add more water if needed. Drain cooked barley and set aside.
3. In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add mushrooms, being careful not to crowd in the pan. Cook until they have reduced in size and are slightly caramelized. Remove pan from the heat, add the cooked barley and stir to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing.
5. Add dressing to your salad, toss well and serve.

​This recipe is from Nourish​ - Cooking with Joy, Digesting with Ease. For more nutritious recipes for people with gastric cancer, check out: ​https://www.mygutfeeling.ca/nourish-extra-magazine-nutrition

• ​Omit the garlic if not tolerated well. Dried mushrooms add a big punch of flavour, but they are optional. You can cook the barley in vegetable broth. You can swap the barley for another nutty grain, e.g. farro. Cilantro, basil, thyme can replace parsley. 
• Soluble fibre helps dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome is a common challenge after a gastrectomy. Normally after a meal, food stored in the stomach is released slowly into the small intestine. If there is no stomach, large amounts of nutrients rush into the small intestine causing symptoms of diarrhea, fullness, cramping, vomiting, weakness, dizziness, and sweating. The soluble fibre from the barley and mushrooms in this dish slows the release of nutrients into the intestine improving the symptoms of dumping.
• Lower fibre is better for slow gastric emptying. The fibre-rich barley used in this dish may not be the best choice, if you have symptoms of slow gastric emptying or slow motility. It can make you feel full for a long period of time. To enjoy this salad, substitute a low fibre grain like pearl couscous for the barley. 
• Barley benefits. Barley is a whole grain packed with nutrients. One-half cup of uncooked, hulled barley contains  17 grams of fibre and 13 grams of protein. It also provides half of our daily needs for selenium and 1/5^th of our daily needs for iron. Iron levels can be low when receiving treatment for stomach cancer so adding barley to the diet can give it a boost. ​
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