Roasted Veggies Barley Salad

This super-grain, in addition to being extremely pleasing to the taste buds, is very good for our bodies. The beauty of this dish is that it can be made with almost any other leftover greens & beans we have in the fridge.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Veggies

• 1  big sweet potato (chopped)
• 1  big carrot (chopped)
• 2  celery ribs (chopped)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
•  salt, to taste
•  pepper, to taste

• Salad

• 2  cups  uncooked pearl barley
• 4  cups water
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  medium onions (finely chopped) or 1  small onion (finely chopped)
• 2  garlic cloves (grated)
• 200  g snow peas (trimmed)
• 1  bunch fresh spinach (roughly chopped)

• Dressing

• 2⁄3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
• 1  tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
•  salt, to taste
•  pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Take the first 6 ingredients and pop them into the oven. Roast them for about half an hour at 200°C.
2. At the same time, put the water to boil. Once it is boiling, add the bay leaves and the barley and leave it to simmer until the barley is chewy – about 25 minutes.
3. When the barley is almost cooked and the roasted veggies almost done, add a tbsp of olive oil to a hot pan and cook the onion until translucent. Add the peas and after another couple of minutes add the spinach. Stir and cook with the lid on for 2-3 minutes, then add the grated garlic and toss to cover.
4. Drain the barley and add it to the pan, together with the roasted veggies and the dressing (made with the last 5 ingredients). Toss to cover.
5. Optional: add a couple of finely sliced chilies.