Barley salad with pesto and vegetables

Hearty salad offers style and substance!

Crunchy vegetables blended with tangy pesto and creamy barley make for a pretty and delicious plate of goodness, served on its own or with a protein. It’s a terrific salad to take to the cottage or a picnic as it needs little refrigeration, only has a few ingredients and no delicate herbs. Barley is full of fibre and nutrition, as well as being low in gluten; this is just one of many ways to incorporate more of its super-food power into your menus!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) pot or pearl barley
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) prepared basil pesto
• 1 cup (250 mL) yellow or orange pepper, diced
• 1/2 English cucumber, diced
• 1 cup (250 mL) cooked corn kernels
• 2 cups (500 mL) halved cherry tomatoes
• lemon wedges (for garnish)

Method

• Bring large pot of water to boil; add barley.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes or until the barley is tender but still a bit firm. Drain; rinse under cold running water and drain very well a second time.
• Note that the barley can be cooked up to 24 hours in advance; put it in a covered container and refrigerate if not using within 4 hours.
• When ready to assemble, put cooked barley in a serving bowl.
• Note: if you have refrigerated the cooked barley, you may want to bring it up to room temperature before assembling your salad.
• Add peppers, cucumber, corn and pesto; stir gently but thoroughly to combine.
• Add tomatoes and very gently toss the salad once more.
• Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad to brighten the flavour.

Serves 6 – 8.