Barley Salad

The Amazing Christy!'s Note:

In my quest to find alternatives to pasta salads (trying to live on the low glycemic index), I found some grain recipes, and many call for tabbouleh. We have a hard time finding it or bulgar wheat. A little unbelievable to me with Arrowhead Mills down the street, but I digress. I decided to try to use barley and this is one of my recipes. I took it to a 4th of July Party and everyone loved it. I hope you do too. Time does not include the barley cooking and cooling times. As a side note, my husband loved it, but thought I could have made a bit more dressing. If you can't find concentrated Pesto paste (NOT pesto in the deli, but the paste) use 1/2 tsp dried basil.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 4 cups cold medium pearl cooked barley
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup olive oil or ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons amore concentrated pesto sauce
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
• 1 zucchini , chopped
• 1 summer squash , chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives

Directions:

1. Place barley in a large bowl.
2. Combine the cheese, oil, lemon juice, Pesto paste, garlic, salt and pepper; mix well.
3. Pour over barley and toss to coat.
4. Add tomatoes, zucchini, squash and olives; toss to combine.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Reviews

[Susie D]

I've been sampling different grains so was eager to try barley. I was surprised at how much my family enjoyed it. The barley was done, but still chewy and it made for a colorful salad. The salad has a pleasant zing from the lemon and the pesto added lovely flavor. (I used a jarred basil pesto.) Thank you for sharing your recipe! Made for Fall 2011 Pick A Chef. You were adopted! :-)