Barley Salad

As part of my effort to eat more healthy and 'whole' foods in th last few months I've been cooking a lot with barley. Last night Hubby Tony and I went to a pot luck dinner. I came up with the idea of tossing barley and vegetables with salad dressing. It was easy to make, and I didn't have to worry about keeping it warm.

At the end of the night someone told me they really liked the dish, and could they have the recipe? I confessed I didn't really have one, but today I wrote down basic dish framework,.  I sent the instructions off in an email, then decided to share them with you.

BARLEY VEGETABLE MAIN DISH SALAD

1 pound barley
6 1/2 cups water
8 cups vegetables of your choice, chopped (I used broccoli, yellow squash, tomatoes, carrots, and onions. Mushrooms, green or colored peppers, or cucumber also work well.)
1/4-1/3 cup spicy brown or Dijon mustard (I used spicy)
Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (approximately half of a 16-oz bottle), to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring barley and water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, covered, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, then drain off any extra water and cool. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill for several hours before serving.

Leftovers served over lettuce for lunch today.

Five years ago today: Mmmmm!