Recipe: Southwestern Barley Salad **MEASUREMENT CORRECTION***

[Kimberlina]

This is a recipe I found and tweaked the other day. It is simple to prepare and tastes good. I took it to a potluck at work and there was only a little left at the end. (Of course, it doesn't make a huge batch anyway.)

Southwestern Barley Salad Serves 6

3 c vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 pearl barley
1 c corn kernels (if canned, drain first, then measure)
1 c black beans (if canned, drain first, then measure)
1/2 c chopped green onions

Dressing:
1/2 c mild salsa
1 T sour cream
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1 t minced garlic

Bring stock to boil and add barley. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed, 30-40 minutes. Trasfer to serving bowl and cool to room temperaure.

Add corn, beans, and onions. Mix well.

In another bowl, combine salsa, sour cream, juice, cilantro, and garlic. Pour over salad and stir to coat well. Serve, or chill and serve.


My notes:

This recipe originally called for 3/4 chopped red pepper and 1/2 c chopped green pepper. I didn't have any and I also wasn't sure if the people I worked with would eat them, so I left them out with no ill effects.

I used only a little bit of green onion- I replaced the rest with regular white onions.

I didn't have any sour cream- I used fat free half and half mixed with lemon juice to thicken it. (Not the juice called for in the recipe.)

I also didn't have any cilantro (couldn't decided where to plant it, so I just never did it.) I used coriander (dried, ground cilantro) instead.



Even with all the changes I made, it was still great. I personally would have liked it a little hotter, but I think it is best made this way for groups. This was very inexpensive using dried beans....


*****PLEASE NOTE THAT THE RECIPE ONLY CALLS FOR 1 CUP OF BLACK BEANS, NOT 2*****

(And I actually thought I had checked it pretty carefully. It is a really good thing I am not a proof-reader. LOL)

[KimSecret]

This sounds wonderful, but what is pearl barley

Also, Im not a big cilantro fan, anything I can subtitute for it or maybe just use a reduced amount it?

Thanks for sharing!

[forestdale]

I'm going to try this. I love barley! KimSecret, pearl barley is a grain, like brown rice but with a nuttier taste. It's very good for you. I'd replace the cilantro with parsley.

Thnaks Kimber!

[jlxian]

Sounds very good. I make a salad with barley and chopped fresh vegetables with a sort of oil/vinegar dressing. I'll try this version.

In my local grocery (not WalMart) they have pearl barley in the ethnic food section. In WalMart I've searched for the barley and it seems like I've found it in either the hot cereal section or in the rice aisle. It is very good --- also good added to soups!

[Kimberlina]

Mmmm...I love barley, too, just cooked up in some veggie stock it is so tasty!

Yes, barley is just a different kind of grain. You can use it in place of brown rice in many recipes. Quaker makes some you can buy in a box (both quick-cooking and "regular"- this recipe uses regular pearl) and around here it is also available in bags from Goya- the same company that sells dried beans and Hispanic foods.

As for the cilantro, Rhonda was right- either just leave it out, or you can sub. parsley. Since I only had coriander (and to be completly accurate, IIRC, it is the ground seed of cilantro) I added parsley for color. I actually didn't care for it much, because I have discovered I don't like raw parsley except in very small amounts.

I just made another batch of this recipe for my upcoming faimly reunion, and I can't stop eating it. I think I will have to make even more....

This is a very good-for-you dish- to make it even healthier, use low or no fat sour cream.

[KimSecret]

Thanks for all the help ladies! I will be sure to try the barley

[Darlene]

I've never eaten barley cold and love it hot so I'm going to have to try this. Barley is a wonderful grain nice texture & it really takes on the flavors of what you add to it. Thanks!

[Strawberry]

Thanks for posting the recipe. I'm going to try it sometime next week.

[Kimberlina]

Please note that I updated this because I accidentally typed 2 instead of 1 in front of te black beans- there should only be 1 cup....