This week I am bringing you the beauty of Pearl Barley salads again! It is easily one of my favourite grains to create recipes with as it’s just so versatile. Check out my recent Pearl Barley and Butter Bean Salad too if you want to give that a go. I was delighted to pair this salad recipe with a gorgeous Frenchie dressing created by my friend, fellow food blogger and physiotherapist Sinead Delahunty – it’s an awesome match! Check out her blog right here! Now, let’s get meal-prepping!

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 100g of feta cheese
• 1 400g tin of red kidney beans
• 8 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 cups of broccoli florets
• 200g of pearl barley
• Water to cook the barley in (go with what your package instructions say, I use a Super Valu brand!)
• Dressing: I paired my salad with this gorgeous Frenchie Dressing as mentioned above – I highly recommend doing the same! See the photo below.

Method

1. Cook the pearl barley according to package instructions (you could use spelt here too if you can’t find pearl barley, they look pretty similar! Or substitute quinoa or brown rice if you can only find those!
2. Set the cooked barley aside in a large mixing bowl. Boil the kettle, and place the broccoli florets into a bowl. Cover with the boiled water and leave the broccoli to soften for 5 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, and add these to the barley.
4. Drain the broccoli and add the florets to your salad.
5. Finally, add the feta crumbles and chopped cherry tomatoes, followed by the lovely Frenchie dressing!
6. Mix everything up and you’re good to go!
7. This salad stores in the fridge for up to 5 days – ideal for a few lunches prepped for a busy week!

Enjoy guys! I hope you love this salad as much as I did! Tag me if you try it out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x