Salads are not always boring, you can add vegetables, raw or cooked and pair them up with any kind of grains. This yummy, nutritious salad is perfect as side dish, or you can eat as a whole. Grain based salad are always my favourite as they are so filling, and adding vegetables make it a perfect balance. If you are tired of using rice or quinoa, barley is another healthy option for salad.
Barely is nutritious grain contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of fibre, which is responsible for most of its health benefits. Barley comes in different forms like hulled and pearl, and people often confuse which one is best for their recipes. Let’s have a look
- Hulled barley : Hulled barley is the whole grain form of barley, with only outermost hull is removed, chewy and rich in fibre. It is dark in colour and has a little bit of a sheen.
- Pearl barley: it is a refined form of barley, but much healthier than any other processed grains. pearl barley cooks more quickly than whole grain as it does not require presoaking.
For salad recipes, I prefer pearl barley as it takes less time to cook.
ingredients
- 1 medium sized courgette
- 1 medium sized sweet potato
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 medium sized onion roughly sliced
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup feta cheese/ vegan feta
How to make
Cook barley in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well.
Pour 3 tbsp of the oil into a roasting tin, evenly spread vegetables, season with pepper, salt, mixed Italian herbs, and smoked paprika, and roast for about 20-25 minutes at 250 C.
In a large mixing bowl, add barley, all roasted vegetables and give a good stir.
Drizzle tahini based lemon dressing, and serve with crumbled vegan feta cheese on top.
