Fresh and healthy side dish or salad with beans, grains and fresh veggies. Make-ahead salad that is hearty and filling!
Ingredients
2 cups cooked barley (see Stovetop Barley for cooking directions)
1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn (cooked from fresh or frozen, or canned, drained and rinsed) (see Notes)
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
½ cup sliced celery
¼ cup sliced green onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup lemon or lime juice
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro or parsley sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Mix barley with remaining ingredients, except garnish, in a large bowl.
- Cover and chill several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
- Garnish with cilantro or parsley sprigs, if desired, and serve.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
- One large ear of corn makes about 1 cup of cut corn.
- Cook frozen corn according to package directions or to 165 degrees F.
- Freeze extra lime or lemon juice to use later.
- Cook your own dry beans. 1 cup dry black beans will make about 3 cups cooked black beans.
- Try adding cilantro on top for more flavor.
- Place any extra cooked barley in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze. Add cooked barley to soups, stews, casseroles and salads for a healthful fiber boost.
Comments
This is a great salad. I usually have brown rice on hand so I have used that in place of the barley and it works great. Adding avocado and radishes gives this salad more even more color and flavor. I like to double the recipe so I have leftovers to pack for lunch for at least a couple days.
I love grain-based salads like this! We often double or triple the recipe and then take it for lunch throughout the week. My family likes to make big batches of food on Sunday night and package them into little leftover containers so they are easy to grab and go in the morning.
Yummy!!! We used black beans which gave great color. And orange juice for the juice. We didnt have cilantro or parsley so left that out. It was great right away to eat, and the flavors did get even better the next day. Served it with the Food Hero Fish and Spinach Bake which was the perfect match!