Barley Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 11 oz. box Quick Pearled Barley ($2.74)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt ($0.01)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved ($1.98)
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives ($1.04)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced ($0.64)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced ($1.48)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 cup) ($0.93)
• 1/2 red onion, diced ($0.46)
• 5 oz. crumbled feta cheese (about 1/2 cup) ($2.88)
• 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley ($0.32)
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested ($0.50)
• 1 Tbsp sugar ($0.04)
• 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper ($0.10)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.06)
• 1 tsp garlic powder ($0.15)
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.32)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil ($0.54)

Instructions

1. Stir 2 cups of quick barley into 4 cups of briskly boiling water with 1/4 tsp sea salt.
2. Simmer
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff finished quick barley with a fork and allow it to cool while you prep your veggies.
4. Prep
5. Halve the grape tomatoes; strain and portion the chopped kalamata olives; peel and the dice cucumber; and seed and dice the red bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion. Crumble 1/2 cup of feta cheese and set aside.
6. Mince the parsley; zest and juice the lemon; and gather the sugar, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder.
7. Whisk the red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic powder together.
8. Combine the cooked and cooled quick barley, all prepped vegetables, crumbled feta cheese, and dressing in a large mixing bowl.
9. Toss everything to combine. Add salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy!