I love the colors and flavors of every season especially Fall & Winter. This salad combines beautiful flavors of Fall and Winter-apples, pomegranate, allspice and barley. Barley is a very hearty grain and one of the best food sources of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is very effective in increasing fullness and reducing appetite. Cooked barley is a bit chewy so adding crunchy apples, celery, walnuts and juicy pomegranate creates different textures. This unique combination of grain, fruit, nuts and veggies packs together a lot of nutrition and a bold punch of flavor. Enjoy it as a breakfast, lunch or as a side salad for dinner!
Ingredients:
Barley -1/2 cup dry
Granny Smith Apple- 1/2 small diced
Honey Crisp Apple-1/2 small diced
Carrot-1 shredded
Celery-1 stick small diced
Pomegranate seeds- 1 cup
Cranberries- 2 tbsp
Walnut pieces - 1/4th cup
Sea Salt- 1 tsp
Black pepper-1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick
Bay leaf
Olive oil-2 tbsp
Parsley- 2 tbsp small chopped
Optional: 1/2 cu pof cooked quinoa
Allspice dressing: Whisk all the below ingredients.
Extra virgin olive oil- 4 tbsp
Maple syrup-1 tbsp
Lemon-3 tbsp
Lime- 1 tbsp
Allspice- ½ tsp
Salt- ½ tsp
Pepper- 1/4th tsp
Cooking Barley:
1. Combine the barley and water: Combine the barley, water, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and salt in the saucepan. Add a generous pinch of salt if desired.
2. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Keep an eye on the pot as barley will give off a lot of foam at first and can cause the pot to boil over. 3. When the barley has reached a boil, lower the heat to a low simmer, cover, and continue to cook until the barley is done. Cooking times vary depending on the type of barley. For pearl barley, start checking at 25 minutes. For hulled barley, start checking at 40 minutes. The barley is done when it has tripled in volume and is soft yet chewy. Add more water if the pan becomes dry before the barley has finished cooking; check every 5 minutes until desired chewiness is reached.
Preparing the Salad
1. Toss diced apples in 1 tbsp lemon juice to prevent from browning.
2. In a large salad bowl toss together-cooked cooled barley, apples, carrots, celery, pomegranate and parsley.
3. Mix the dressing, top with walnuts & Enjoy!