There is nothing healthier and refreshing than this barley salad (there might be a few things that are healthier and refreshing, like other salads). Unlike your typical salad which primarily consists of green vegetables, the barley salad utilizes barley. This gives the salad a higher satiety point, meaning that when you eat it, it keeps you fuller for a longer period of time. This means that you don’t need to overstuff yourself and can drastically help you achieve weight loss.
Health Benefits
A barley salad does not have the same health profile as a traditional leafy green salad. But barley has its own series of health benefits that make it a worthwhile grain to use to prepare a salad. Eating barley on a regular basis can ease the suffering of certain medical conditions like, arthritis, hypertension, impotence, asthma, skin problems, anemia, constipation, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and kidney problems. Barley’s health benefits are mostly due to the 8 essential amino acids that it contains, which means that it provides us with complete protein (something actually hard to come by in a non-meat source).
Ingredients
barley: 1 cup
water: 2 1/2 cups
sun-dried tomatoes: 7
garlic: 2 cloves
olive oil: 2 tbsp
balsamic vinegar: 1 tbsp
cilantro – finely chopped: 1/2 cup
chopped black olives: 4 oz
olive oil: 2 tbsp
How To Make Barley Salad
- Bring barley and water to a boil in a saucepan at a high temperature.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, then cover, and let simmer until the barley turns tender, but is still slightly firm in the center.
- Drain and let cool in a bowl until it reaches room temperature.
- Puree the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a blender until smooth.
- Pour the puree over the barley.
- Fold in the olives, cilantro, and remaining olive oil until it is thoroughly mixed in.
- Cover, and refrigerate until the salad turns cold.
- Stir before serving.
Trivia
1 foot is equivalent to 39 barleycorns.