Barley with Caramelized Onions and Shiitake Mushrooms

I made this when I did the Chicken Burgers for a Martha Monday challenge and am finally posting it now. Sorry for the delay, it would of made sense to show it the next day, but stuff happens. I have been buying up several different grains to try. I've had barley before, but not as the main part of the side dish. I also have some black rice to try, and found some red rice yesterday. Well see what happens.

I loosely based this recipe off from one I saw on My Recipes. I changed the amounts and the method of cooking it.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 chopped onion (you can add more if you like)
1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups vegetable broth
you can salt it if you like

Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

I had just a few mushrooms to use up, so that's why I cut back on that ingredient. Caramelizing the onions and using shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce really gives it a nice color and depth of flavor.

Caramelize the onions in some butter first, it takes around 10 minutes or so, then add the mushrooms.

I like to add the herbs now, early on if they are dried. Add barley, cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the soy sauce and broth, bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes until barley is tender.

We liked it, but I think next time I will try baking it. It was a little more moister that I thought, but it tastes good!