Vegetable barley salad
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- For the salad:
- 1 cup pearl barley rinsed and drained
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 bell peppers any color--I chose red and orange, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 English Cucumber quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 avocado
- optional:
- 1 can chick peas rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- For the dressing:
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt I used kosher
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- To cook the barley, bring 2 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add rinsed barley and cook for 45 minutes over low heat until grains are tender. Drain and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, combine remaining salad ingredients minus the avocado in a large bowl.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl, being sure to taste and adjust accordingly.
- Once barley is cooled slightly, add to the bowl of vegetables and add dressing, tossing to coat.
- Top with sliced avocado and serve.
- Will last up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Be sure to taste prior to eating and add more dressing as necessary.