Black Bean Barley Salad

Courtesy Go Barley

What better time to expand your whole grain horizons than Whole Grains Month? If you tend to stick to the same offerings, why not plan to try a new whole grain each week – or at least a new whole grain dish?

Go Barley, Modern Recipes for an Ancient Grain,  is a great resource to get you started on barley, if it’s not part of your current repertoire. The  cookbook  includes more than 100 healthy, flavorful, and simple recipes – but not just for soups and salads. It also provides recipes for barley flour.  Barley’s nutritional profile makes incorporating barley flour into your baking very wise indeed.

Here’s a fibre-packed sampling adapted from  Go Barley that highlights the season’s last hurrah of tomatoes and corn. It’s great as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish with other protein offerings.

Black Bean Barley Salad

Makes 6 servings.

2 tsp (10 mL) canola oil
½ cup (125 mL) pot or pearl barley
2 cups (500 mL) low sodium or sodium-reduced vegetable stock or water
1 540 mL-can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup (125 mL) corn kernels
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped chives
3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice
1/4 cup (50 mL) extra virgin  olive oil
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground pepper
Lettuce
1/4 cup (50 mL) shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add barley and sauté for 3 minutes. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes; drain and cool.

In a large bowl, combine cooked barley, beans, yellow pepper, tomatoes, corn and chives. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper; pour over barley mixture and toss. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Serve on lettuce topped with shredded cheese.

Nutrition information per serving
•    Calories:  271
•    Protein: 8 grams
•    Fat:  grams
•    Saturated fat:   gram
•    Carbohydrate: 32  grams
•    Dietary fibre:  8 grams
•    Sodium:  460  milligrams