This superfood pilaf can keep you healthy & happy

Whole-grain pearl barley is tossed with blueberries and pine nuts for an unusual combination that really works. With fresh green vegetables, it's as easy on the eye as it is on the palate.

• 240 g (1 c) pearl barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large leeks
• 3 celery stalks
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
• 240 g (8 oz) spinach
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 50 g (1/4 c) pine nuts
• 75 g (1/3 c) dried blueberries

Preparation: 10 minutes. Cooking: 25 minutes. Serves 4.

1. Add the pearl barley to a large pot with the bay leaf and 600 milliiters (2 1/2 cups) of boiling water. Return to a boil, stir once, reduce heat, partly cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the barley is tender.
2. Meanwhile, thinly slice the leeks and celery. Heat 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the leeks and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the vegetables to the cooked barley and season to taste.
3. Add the remaining 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of oil to the pan. Add the spinach and cook over medium heat for three minutes, or until wilted. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and dried blueberries and cook for one minute.
4. Remove the bay leaf and divide the barley among four plates. Top with spinach, blueberries and pine nuts, and serve.

• If you don't have a garlic press, peel the garlic, flatten the clove on a cutting board with the side of a large knife blade and chop it.
• How you prepare the garlic, whether it's crushed, chopped or sliced, will impact the flavour of the final dish. Crushed garlic gives the most intense result.
• For a change, use a mix of brown rice and pearl barley, which have similar cooking times.
• Red rice and wild rice also make a good pilaf.
• Try raisins or golden raisins instead of dried blueberries, and sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts.
• Baby turnips make a tasty alternative to the spinach. Thinly slice 450 grams (one pound) of baby turnips and cook them in the olive oil in step 3, with the pine nuts and garlic.

• 59 calories
• 22 g fat
• 3 g saturated fat
• 79 g carbohydrates
• 16 g protein
• 6 g fibre

Besides its unique flavourings, this dish can help help produce healthy red blood cells and lower cholesterol. The easy-to-find ingredients makes this a great recipe to put into regular rotation.