Warm Root Vegetable and Barley Salad
The weather is starting to cool down here in Canada, which is upsetting because our summers are so short… and grilling is my jam! But the good news is, all the cozy comfort foods are back in season. I love roasting root vegetables. They are hearty, healthy and colourful.
This Warm Root Vegetable and Barley Salad is the fall season on a plate. The soft barley, topped with the roasted root veggies, pumpkin seeds and feta is the perfect combination. And of coarse, you must drizzle with balsamic syrup- we all know I am obsessed by now…
You can serve this alone as a hearty lunch salad or as a side dish. I love to serve it along side some pan seared fish. You can also remove the feta and serve with any meat you desire. Give this versatile dish a try, it is a warm salad worth gossiping about!
Warm Root Vegetable and Barley Salad
Yield: 2-3 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup barley
1 1/2 cup water or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cup assorted root vegetables
(Sweet potato, butternut squash, turnip)
1/4 red onion, sliced
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped
(Combo of thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil)
Juice of 1/4 lemon (about a tsp)
2 tbsp feta, crumbled
1 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
Drizzle balsamic syrup
Salt/pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. On a baking pan, place the root vegetables, olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix together. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Open oven, add the onions, give the veggies a mix and then bake another 10 minutes until the vegetables are brown and fork tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, boil the water. Rinse the barley and then add into boiling water. Simmer until barley cooked through 30-40 minutes.
3. On a serving platter, place the barley on the bottom, top with the roasted veggies. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 of a lemon over the veggies and barley. Sprinkle on feta, pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs. Drizzle with a tsp of olive oil and a generous amount of balsamic syrup.
*** can be doubled for larger crowds
*** great as a side with fish or remove feta if serving meat.
