Barley-Apples-Pomegranate & Walnuts in Allspice dressing

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!